Under the Cherry Blossoms
by GreenTeaToothPaste
Summary: When Ryoma and Fuji first met, it was during the blooming season of cherry blossoms. Japanese-styled Imperial AU. [Thrill Pair/FujiRyo]
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Recently I started playing Tenirabi and it reignited my love for the Prince of Tennis series. Too bad loving my OTP feels like living in the Sahara Desert right now, so I'm writing my own fanfic to curb my addiction a little bit.**

 **I do not own Prince of Tennis.**

 **Edit (3/24/2018): Okay wow, I'm sorry for burning you guys' eyes off with all these grammar errors in the dialogues. My bad. I fixed most, hopefully all, of them now.**

 **Edit (5/2/2018): Beta-ed by my friend LeFluffyPunk. So far only the first chapter is beta-ed, but the rest of the chapters might come later.**

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Chapter 1

Jade-colored hair, amber eyes, and an unbelievably small stature.

Looking back on it, Fuji regretted not trying to get to know him earlier, not having a good impression of him earlier, and not falling in love with him earlier. In only a few years, the young boy had already wormed his way into the deepest parts of Fuji's heart. At any idle moment, the way the young boy called his name would echo within his head.

"Fuji-senpai."

Ah. There it was again.

Fuji slowly opened his eyes, and his cerulean irises met with amber.

"Ryoma."

Feeling a strange warmth around him, Fuji realized that a cloak was placed on him sometime during his outdoor nap. Recognizing the cloak's owner, Fuji smiled warmly at the young boy who woke him up.

"Thank you."

Ryoma shrugged and looked away as he answered, "I don't know what you are thanking me for, but it's about time to wake up. It's almost dinnertime."

Fuji — shocked — stared at Ryoma, and then up towards the sky. The sky, beautiful and clear, was tinted in slight crimson, indicating the arrival of dusk. Fuji was bemused by how long he had slept, and as he got up, he chuckled slightly with a realization.

Ryoma stared at Fuji with a puzzled look.

"Oh, it's nothing. It's just..." Fuji paused and looked at his kouhai teasingly, "you would only wake me up if you felt hungry, huh?"

The young boy shot Fuji a look of protest. Fuji could swear that he saw a slight blush on Ryoma's face. Somewhat miffed by Fuji's previous statement, Ryoma turned around and attempted to head back inside their house.

"Ne, Ryoma?"

The kouhai stopped in his track.

"I had a really good dream," Fuji said.

"...About?" Ryoma asked back after a slight pause.

"You."

 _About us._

—

Seven years ago, the Fuji family became the royal family of the country named Seishun.

The way royalty was decided in this country was special: the previous ruler had to name a successor almost as soon as he or she inherited the throne, and the successor could be either a relative or not related in blood at all. Of course, this could lead to some potential inheritance problems, but none of the past royal family could change the rule, as the selection process was so ingrained within the country. Therefore, usually the upcoming emperor would name a blood relative as a successor in order to prevent potential conflicts, political or otherwise.

For some reason that was not disclosed to the general public, the Fuji family was "randomly" chosen by the previous emperor out of pure whim, and officially became royalty when the previous emperor abdicated the throne. Thus, Fuji Syusuke became the prince of the country and was named by his father to become the king in the future.

The change came with many responsibilities and heavy burdens, but nothing Fuji could not handle. Or at least, that was what Fuji told himself.

As the prince of the country, Fuji had a team of personal bodyguards, which consisted of very skilled samurais from across the nation. Of course, he was close to all of them and entrusted them with his own life. (Although the sentiment might not be mutual, considering how much Fuji loved to prank on them.) He would like to believe that he knew all of them very well — from the ever stoic Tezuka to the super cheerful Eiji —and believed that these bodyguards were almost like a closed off bubble of friends that would stay this way for the rest of his life.

So when Tezuka made the sudden announcement that someone would be joining this team of bodyguards, it surprised Fuji, to say the least.

"...And, what is it that you are asking me, again?" Fuji asked Tezuka, the captain of the squad as well as his childhood friend.

"I need your approval before I can enlist the newest member into your security team, Your Highness," Tezuka replied.

Fuji sighed with his brows slightly furrowed, "I wish you would drop the formalities. It isn't necessary. And to be honest, you don't need my approval for something like this. You can just decide for me."

"...It is the proper procedure."

Fuji briefly wondered whether Tezuka was talking about the formal speech or the approval.

"Anyway," said Fuji while stretching his arms and walking away from his workstation, "I'll approve of the new member. I trust your decisions, after all, although I'm surprised that you're accepting a new member to begin with. When was the last time someone passed your standards of being a good samurai, I wonder?"

When Tezuka did not answer Fuji, the prince simply shrugged and return to his work. Similarly, Tezuka retreated to a corner of Fuji's workroom, and sat in seiza, silently guarding the place. It wasn't long until Fuji got distracted, Tezuka noticed, and stopped working entirely. The captain sighed as he looked out the window — it was nighttime, almost time for dinner.

Tezuka stood up and said, "I shall escort you back to your room."

Even though Fuji's face only showed his usual smile, the mental celebration coming from the prince was so loud that Tezuka could almost hear it across the room.

Tezuka continued, "Kikumaru will be guarding you tonight."

And Fuji's smile only got brighter. Tezuka's eyes narrowed slightly as he watched Fuji leaving his seat excitedly, ready to head back.

The way back to Fuji's residence was long. That was just how the imperial palace was designed. Fuji supposed that it gave him much more time to walk around and ponder many things, but he was fairly certain that the long corridors were just part of a very poor design decision. Tezuka was walking behind the prince, as unwavering as ever, following Fuji's footsteps attentively.

A sudden aroma stopped Fuji's steps, and the prince looked towards the outside of the open corridors.

"...It's the cherry blossom blooming season again. Time flies by so quickly," Fuji whispered softly.

As usual, Tezuka did not provide him with a response when one was not needed.

The two proceeded to continue the journey back to Fuji's room in silence.

The way Tezuka interacted with Fuji, all those unanswered questions, was so commonplace to both of them that neither bat an eye to it anymore. At first, Fuji was bothered by the lack of answers, if only ever so slightly, until he realized that this was how Tezuka interacted with almost everyone he knew. Fuji was sure that Tezuka was most likely bothered by the number of questions Fuji asked on a daily basis too, at some point.

A sudden, loud voice broke through the silence and snapped Fuji out of his thoughts.

"Hoi, hoi, Fujiko-ch-," Kikumaru greeted while approaching the two from across the hallway, but then swallowed the rest of his sentence as he saw Tezuka standing right behind the prince, "I mean, good evening, Your Highness."

Fuji had to stifle a giggle, but Tezuka did not seem nearly as amused.

"Kikumaru," Tezuka said with a tone laced with warning.

Kikumaru grinned sheepishly and took a step backwards, away from Tezuka.

"Well, since we have pretty much arrived at our destination, I'll leave the both of you alone," Fuji said with a smile, ignoring Kikumaru's desperate signals for help to get away from Tezuka, and entered his own room.

Fuji could almost hear Kikumaru's silent screams even with a sliding door between them. Tezuka was always a little too insistent on the formalities, in Fuji's opinion, but Fuji enjoyed watching his other guards squirm under Tezuka's authority over them.

Soon, Fuji's world returned to silence. The prince stared at his room, dark and empty, and proceeded to light a candle. The warm light emitted from the candle only managed to alleviate a small amount of the darkness. He opened the window, and the moonlight spilled into the room along with the familiar aroma of flowers.

Fuji stared intently at the cherry blossom trees outside of his room for a very long time.

Some cherry blossom petals, carried by the wind, landed onto his bed and table.

Then, almost uncontrollably, Fuji lifted his leg and climbed halfway out the window-

"AH! Fuji caught red-handed trying to leave!"

Alarmed, Fuji swiftly turned his head towards the voice and found Kikumaru running towards his window from the entrance of his room. Normally, as Fuji's room was located at a corner of the building, the location of the window cannot be seen from the location of the door because the two were placed on different sides. Fuji originally thought that Kikumaru, who was supposedly guarding the door, would not have noticed any escape attempts from the side window.

Fuji smiled sheepishly, as if asking for forgiveness.

"No! You can't go outside, Fuji! Tezuka is going to skin me alive if he finds out! ...Okay, he won't, but he will definitely make me run 50 laps around all of Seishun and I refuse to die young," Kikumaru exclaimed in a clear panic.

"But Eiji, I really want to go outside and see the cherry blossom trees."

"There's a tree right there in front of your room!"

"But there's a public viewing today."

"You want to go to a public viewing? Do you even know how hard it is to guard you when you go out in public?"

"Please? I'll even talk to Tezuka about it afterwards. I just really want to go outside."

Fuji's dejected look made it very hard for Kikumaru to refuse, but still...

"I'm sorry, Fuji. The last time I let you out, Tezuka practically 'grounded' me for a month afterwards. I really can't let you go."

Fuji had thought that Eiji, of all people, would let him go.

After a deafening silence that followed, Fuji sighed disappointedly and climbed back inside his room from the window. He looked outside — at the sky, at the moon, at the _flying cherry blossom petals —_ and then decided to go to bed without eating dinner.

Fuji had never felt more like a prisoner.

—

Mornings can hit like a rampaging school of wild boars when windows are left open.

It was very early in the morning when the sunlight shone directly onto Fuji. Dissatisfied with how early he was woken up and unable to fall back asleep, he dressed up and proceeded to head towards the kitchen for some breakfast.

When he opened the door, Kikumaru was no longer on his shift. Kawamura stood in his place.

"Good morning, Taka-san," Fuji greeted.

"Good morning, Fuji. You sure woke up early," Kawamura replied.

"Yes, I accidentally skipped dinner yesterday, and I woke up hungry," Fuji said with his usual smile. "I'm going to head to the kitchen. You don't have to follow me."

 _Implying that Fuji would like to be left alone._

"Oh, uh... No problem! Just make sure to be careful."

And then Fuji headed off.

Even though Kawamura appeared to be the most agreeable of all of his guards, Fuji knew that Tezuka had ordered them to keep an eye on Fuji at all times, and Kawamura would most likely follow him from afar. Tezuka had always been a little overprotective — Fuji could not blame him, as multiple assassination attempts had indeed happened in the past — and yet Fuji found this overprotectiveness somewhat suffocating.

Reasoning with Tezuka also got Fuji nowhere.

While walking towards the kitchen, Fuji turned his head slightly and successfully spotted Kawamura following him. The prince sighed and decided to pretend that he never noticed.

At the kitchen, Fuji had obtained a tray with simple breakfast foods such as grilled fish, rice, miso soup, and chawanmushi. His servants wanted to carry the tray of food back to his room, but Fuji insisted on carry his breakfast himself. Then, he decided to take the scenic route on his way back.

The prince admired the newly blossoming cherry blossoms on his walk. The palace servants were already mostly awake and hurriedly prepared for the new day, scrambling towards their workplace. They greeted Fuji as they passed by, and Fuji just realized how busy a servant's day could be, even early in the morning.

Until Fuji saw something completely unexpected.

A man — or was it a boy? — in the blue and white uniform of a bodyguard, sleeping peacefully under the shade of a cherry blossom tree, ignoring all the busy servants that passed by him.

Silently, Fuji approached the boy. The comforting air under the tree's shade suddenly hit the prince with a surge of sleepiness.

Setting the tray of food aside, Fuji yawned before lying down and falling asleep next to the boy.

* * *

 **This might be a monthly update depending on my schedule. Also the next chapters will hopefully be longer.**

 **Reviews are appreciated :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Monthly update, said me. Longer chapters, said me. LOL. Pretend I never said those.**

 **(By the way, did I ever mention that this fic will probably be a super slow burn?)**

 **Anyway, wow, I am slightly amazed by the amount of reviews, favorites, and follows from the first chapter. A big thank you to everyone that supported the first chapter :)**

 **Now without further ado, onto chapter 2!**

 **Edit (3/24/2018): Fixed dialogue related grammar errors.**

 **Edit (7/12/2019): Fixed more grammar errors.**

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Chapter 2

 _What the hell?_

This was the first thing that came to mind when Echizen Ryoma woke up and saw an unfamiliar person sleeping with him.

Ryoma blinked. Closed his eyes. And opened them again to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

And he was not. Great.

A little while before this, Ryoma began to hear an increasing amount of noise from people's chatter. The young boy just assumed that the servants were getting busier, so he ignored the noise until it became increasingly unbearable. The last thing he expected to find was a random stranger napping in front of him, completely unguarded.

Ryoma shot a glare at where people were passing by and gossiping about them. That glare must not had been fierce enough, as it only produced more giggles and chatter, especially from female servants, for some reason. Thankfully, most of them did seem to understand that Ryoma was in a foul mood and decided to leave him alone.

Back to the topic at hand.

Ryoma was fully prepared to wake up the person in front of him, until he saw the heavy bags under the stranger's eyes and realized how soundly this person was sleeping. The young boy then hesitated, and he decided not to wake the stranger up.

As Ryoma was getting ready to leave, however, he smelled the scent of a wonderfully cooked meal, and his stomach growled uncooperatively. His gaze landed on a tray of food set next to the sleeping stranger — breakfast, perhaps — and spotted his favorite dishes on the tray.

Ryoma looked at the stranger again, who showed no signs of waking anytime soon.

 _Well, if he doesn't wake up soon, then the food's gonna get cold. Might as well, right?_ Ryoma thought to himself and smiled mischievously.

—

All in all, aside from the free breakfast, Ryoma had a terrible day.

The young, soon-to-be-inducted bodyguard agreed to become a bodyguard for many reasons, one of which being the ability to leech off of the free services provided by the royal palace. Free food, free housing, free training, and the list went on and on.

So, prior the day of his official induction, Ryoma decided to try out one such service — the blacksmithing. One of his swords was somewhat worn down by use, and Ryoma had heard from rumors that the blacksmiths in the palace were not only quality workers, but they were fast and hardworking too.

And the rumors were not wrong.

When Ryoma went to the blacksmiths in the afternoon that day, the line of orders for their services was so long that Ryoma had to wait for nearly an hour just to leave his sword there. The young boy half expected the maintenance on his sword to take a few days until a messenger arrived before the guest room he was residing in and woke him up even before the crack of dawn the next day to inform him of the completion of the maintenance and insisted Ryoma to pick it up at that moment.

If there was one thing Ryoma hated the most, it was waking up early.

So, Ryoma exasperatedly woke up from the warmth of his bed, exasperatedly dressed up in his uniform for his induction later in the day, and exasperatedly walked _all the way_ to the blacksmithing department to pick up his sword.

Imagine his absolute _delight_ when he saw the entire blacksmithing department only moments later in a complete panic because a robber broke in and robbed plenty of items.

 _Including his sword._

Thank the lord that the robber was a sloppy worker, and it took only a few minutes for Ryoma to track him down. After thanking the robber for making his day awful (by beating the smack out of said robber before promptly throwing the guy in jail), Ryoma was tired from all the extra work he had to do and made the horrible decision to fall asleep next to a random tree in the palace.

Which led to an unwanted encounter with a total stranger sleeping next to him. And free breakfast, Ryoma supposed, which was the only good part.

After everything that happened, it was finally time for Ryoma's induction ceremony... or whatever it was that he had to do to be hired officially. The captain — someone told Ryoma that the captain's name was Tezuka or something — informed Ryoma of the process the day before, but he was honestly too tired to remember anything.

As Ryoma attempted to recall what he was supposed to do, his legs had already brought him to the captain's office. Tezuka was standing in front of the door, waiting for his arrival.

Ryoma wondered if he remembered the wrong time for their meeting. It would not surprise him if he did.

"You're not late," answered Tezuka before Ryoma asked. "Your face told me everything."

"Oh."

An eerily long silence stretched between the two.

"So," Ryoma began, "what is it that I have to do, again?"

"You don't have to do anything right now," said Tezuka. "You have already proven your worth in yesterday's trial by defeating some of our soldiers and some of the prince's personal bodyguards. Now you just have to wait."

Another silence.

"For...?" Ryoma asked again.

"The prince," said Tezuka, followed by a sigh. "Did you listen to anything I said yesterday?"

Ryoma did not answer that.

The captain continued, "To be officially inducted as the prince's bodyguard, the prince needs to be present for the ceremony. That's how the tradition goes. Unfortunately, the current prince is not very fond of traditions or formalities. Let's hope that he, at the very least, remembers about the ceremony today."

...That certainly did not fill Ryoma with much confidence.

Wasn't the current eldest prince (the one Ryoma assumed he was going to serve) the one who would become king?

 _Ugh_.

Sighing loudly, Ryoma chose a comfortable spot in the shade next to a wall and leaned onto it. Tezuka did not seem to mind his childish actions as his face did not show any visible annoyance.

Half an hour passed without the prince showing up.

Tezuka's posture did not change throughout the half an hour of waiting. Ryoma, on the other hand, was already half-lying on the ground, counting the wooden tiles that make up the entrance of Tezuka's office.

From the corner of Ryoma's eye, he noticed Tezuka staring at him... and possibly judging Ryoma's childish behavior. Ryoma could not tell with Tezuka's expressionless face.

The two stared at each other as if it was a staring contest, neither looking away.

"How old are you?" Tezuka asked suddenly.

"What?"

"After the induction ceremony today, you would officially become the youngest member of the team, if I remembered your age correctly from your application. It just occurred to me how strange it is that a child of your age would become a royal bodyguard."

Retorting 'I am not a child' back at the captain of the squad did not sound like a good idea to Ryoma.

But he did it anyways.

It cued a raised eyebrow from the captain, then an audible exhale.

The captain finally looked away and moved from his original spot. Ryoma sat up, expecting an explanation.

"I'm going to look for His Highness," said Tezuka. "You should stay here and wait until we come back."

"Yes sir."

As the captain walked away to search for the prince, Ryoma slowly stood up from his previously sitting position and stretched. He was about to take another nap right then, but decided against it, in case the prince arrived when he was asleep.

Ryoma heard heavy footsteps fast approaching from afar. Could the prince possibly be so fast and so impatient to meet him that h-

A bone-crushing hug almost strangled the air out of Ryoma's lungs abruptly while he was finishing his stretch. Ryoma thought he heard a voice saying "Ochibi" over and over again, however, he was beginning to feel a little faint from the lack of air to care.

"Eiji, stop!" another voice intervened, and whatever was clinging so desperately onto Ryoma was forcefully removed from him.

Ryoma took a few seconds to gather himself before looking at the intruders. Then another few seconds to remember their names.

"Kikumaru-senpai. Oishi-senpai. Good morning," greeted Ryoma with the best glare he could manage.

Oishi looked away with a guilty smile, but Kikumaru did not seem affected by Ryoma's glare at all. In fact, Kikumaru inched closer to Ryoma again after being separated only seconds ago.

"Ochibi, please save me from Tezuka! I can't believe he's going to make me run 20 laps around the castle just because I forgot to use honorifics around Fuji! And then he said he wanted to discuss this with me privately, and I don't want to do it!" Kikumaru cried as he hugged Ryoma again, this time a little more softly but still bone-crushing nonetheless.

"Eiji, even if you say that, Echizen can't possibly do anything..." Oishi's voice was drowned out by Kikumaru's endless complaints.

Ryoma could not recall when he and Kikumaru became friends. By Ryoma's standards, they were not even acquaintances, but he was not the type to think too deeply on things like these.

As far as Ryoma could remember, after defeating Kaidoh-senpai and Inui-senpai in exhibition matches as an entrance exam, the cat-like senpai just suddenly took a liking to him, without any logical reasons.

Ryoma could feel himself losing air again.

"Are you sure you 'forgot' and didn't do it on purpose?" Ryoma asked without thinking, trying his best to pry Kikumaru away from him.

Kikumaru gasped loudly with exaggerated hurt in his expression.

"Ochibi, that is so rude! You-" Kikumaru stopped suddenly and tilted his head, as if trying to listen to something better.

Curious, Echizen also attempted to listen to whatever Kikumaru caught.

A soft voice was carried through the air, and the voice said: "I don't know why you keep insisting on these things, Tezuka. I already said that I approve of whoever caught your attention, didn't I?"

Footsteps seemed to be approaching, and Kikumaru quickly panicked. He probably realized who it was, Ryoma thought.

"Oishi, hide me!" Kikumaru said in alarm.

"It's too late, Eiji, and..." said Oishi, and Kikumaru dashed away from the direction of the voice before Oishi could finish the sentence.

Tezuka's figure approached Ryoma and Oishi, along with another person tagging along behind the captain. Tezuka's eyebrows furrowed as his eyes glanced at Ryoma and Oishi.

"I thought I heard Kikumaru's voice," said the captain.

"Well, that's... um..." Oishi stuttered.

"Kikumaru-senpai saw a pregnant lady about to give birth so he went to go help her to the medical wing," said Ryoma, randomly making up an excuse for his escaped senpai.

Oichi almost choked.

Tezuka looked at Ryoma, expression unreadable. Ryoma stared back and shrugged before looking away to inspect the new person behind the captain.

Ryoma was sure that he was gaping. Then again, the other person looked very shocked too.

Chestnut brown hair, cerulean eyes, and a slim, beautiful face...

Upon seeing Ryoma's reaction, Tezuka began to introduce them to each other. "Echizen, this is the crown princ-"

"It's you!" "You're...!"

Two voices interrupted Tezuka at the same time. Ryoma even threw in an extra index finger pointing at the newcomer.

"You're the weirdo who was sleeping next to me!" "You're the one that stole my breakfast!"

To Ryoma's surprise, not only did that stranger from the morning ignore his finger, the stranger approached him and pinched his face with a grin.

"Didn't anyone teach you not to steal other people's food?" asked the stranger, before getting his hand smacked away by Ryoma.

The grin from the stranger only deepened, even after Ryoma scowled at him.

Realizing the brewing trouble, Oishi began to hold Ryoma back and Tezuka attempted to talk to the brown-haired stranger.

"Your Highness, I sincerely apologize if Echizen had offended you in the past. I was unaware that you had any history with him, and he is the new recruit that I appointed to be your new bodyguard. If this is dissatisfying, I would gladly receive the appropriate punishment."

"You?" asked the prince with surprise in his expression. "You've taken such a strong liking to this boy?"

"He is a samurai with great potential," answered the captain.

The prince hummed and thought for a moment, then called out loudly, "Inui! I know you're here somewhere!"

Ryoma almost jumped when yet another person entered the scene behind him.

"Inui, you have a new juice to share, right?"

Ryoma's survival instincts rang the alarm bells loudly inside his head as soon as he saw Oishi's face paling at that question. Ryoma stared at Inui, silently asking him whether he was about to get revenge for Ryoma kicking his ass the day prior.

Inui only grinned.

"Fuji, I mean, Your Highness! Please reconsider!" Oishi exclaimed in a voice full of worry.

"Too late for that now, Oishi," answered Inui with a cup in his hand. The man with the glasses then placed the cup onto Ryoma's hand.

Ryoma stared at the green liquid inside.

"Your punishment is to drink this," said Inui.

 _That's it? That's a surprisingly lenient punishment_.

Ryoma proceeded to ignore his survival instincts and downed the liquid in one swig.

He gagged from both the disgusting taste and aftertaste.

Ryoma could feel himself blacking out from this sketchy drink. He willed himself to glare at the crown prince once more just before he fainted.

Telling the prince to go to hell would probably result in a death sentence, so Ryoma settled with a simple "I hate you" instead.

Ryoma's eyes closed.

Before his consciousness faded, he thought he heard the prince's voice saying, "Nice to meet you too, Echizen. My name is Fuji Syusuke."

* * *

 **Author's note: Echizen's point of view is pretty difficult to write, which is why this took me so long. A single action from him can make or break his character.**

 **Same thing with Tezuka. Having the two in the same scene is harsh to my brain. QAQ**

 **Just like last time, reviews are appreciated! Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: A slightly shorter chapter today. I forgot that February was a shorter month than other months.**

 **A big thank you to everyone that left reviews, favorites, and follows! It really motivates me to keep going!**

 **Edit: Added some separators back into the chapter as they mysteriously disappeared after uploading.**

 **Edit (3/24/2018): Fixed dialogue related grammar errors.**

* * *

Chapter 3

 _There was an eighty-percent chance that Fuji Syusuke took a liking to Echizen Ryoma, and a hundred-percent chance that the prince's inner sadist felt tremendously satisfied by forcing Echizen to drink the Inui Juice version 2.0 – codenamed Inui Juice Deluxe._

– an excerpt taken from the latest entry in Inui's Notebook, volume number 346.

Fuji briefly wondered what Inui was furiously scribbling down on his notebook, but whatever it was, Fuji was certain that Inui was most likely correct. After all, Fuji could not suppress the smile of happiness on his face after Ryoma fainted from ingesting the Inui Juice.

Fuji had not been so amused by someone in a long time. His father – the current king – forbade him from interacting with people outside of the palace without permission, so the amount of interaction between him and other people was small. While picking on his other bodyguards was also highly entertaining, most of them had learned to stay away from him if something signaled impending danger ( _except Eiji. Oh, poor Eiji,_ the prince thought to himself with a chuckle). It was the reason why Fuji loved newcomers and why Tezuka had avoided hiring newcomers for the past year.

Tezuka's reasoning for that was "to avoid detrimental emotional trauma".

 _If Echizen got past Tezuka's standard, then Echizen either has nerves of steel, or can quickly escape from danger. Or both. Probably both,_ Fuji supposed. After a few weeks, the boy would likely adapt to the new environment and learn to stay away from the prince. But until then…

"Your Highness?" Tezuka said, snapping Fuji back to attention.

"Hm? Oh, right, the ceremony or whatever," Fuji replied halfheartedly.

"Um, I'm not sure if Echizen can participate the way he is right now…" Oishi said with a worried face, quickly kneeling down to check on the fainted Ryoma.

Fuji waved his hand nonchalantly. "It's fine. The official guidelines for the ceremony only required the prince and the to-be-inducted bodyguard to be present. He doesn't need to be awake."

Tezuka gave Fuji a look of concern, before handing Fuji a scroll of certification. The prince took it and opened it up, skimmed through the contents, and nodded to himself.

Fuji cleared his throat, then kneeled in front of Ryoma's fainted body. "I hereby appoint," Fuji said while using his fingers to open up Ryoma's hand, which was balled up into a fist, "Echizen Ryoma as a personal bodyguard of Fuji Syusuke."

The prince placed the scroll in his new bodyguard's hand, and the deed was done. Technically.

Realizing how ridiculous this must be, Fuji let out a small laugh. In that moment, he wished that he had something that could capture the scene so he could revisit this moment within his mind whenever he wanted. Something like a painting, but they always took so long to draw. Maybe someone could invent a new brush for speed-painting?

Fuji, feeling satisfied after finishing the cumbersome ceremony, stood back up quickly and readied to leave. He was mildly pleased that the so-called ceremony was over so quickly until Tezuka stopped him from leaving.

Fuji frowned. "Is there something else?"

"Echizen was supposed to be your guard for tonight's shift. However, now that he is… unconscious, he might not be able to guard you tonight. If he wakes up by then, would you want his shift to be moved to tomorrow night just in case he suffers from any questionable side effects?" Tezuka inquired.

Fuji could hear Inui's protest of "there will be no questionable side effects, Tezuka" in the background, but before Inui even mentioned a word, Fuji's mind was made up.

"Let him come to me when he wakes."

—

For the rest of the day, Fuji felt as restless as a child going on a trip for the first time.

It was a feeling he missed, every time he met a new friend. He could not wait to meet up with Echizen again, to get to know him, to talk to him about all sorts of things, and to have him sharing stories of the world outside the palace.

 _What if he didn't wake up in time?_

Then they could meet up the next day.

 _But I really can't wait to meet him._

Fuji sighed, then attempted to shrug off his thoughts to no avail. In his workplace, Fuji tried to focus on the paperwork he needed to finish, but his focus was too scattered to do anything with efficiency.

Suddenly, the prince heard two sets of footsteps approaching his room. Fuji then held the paperwork in his hands as if he had been working on them for the past few hours and prepared to greet the visitors.

"Your Highness," Tezuka's voice sounded through the sliding doors, without entering Fuji's workplace, "Echizen has arrived for his duties."

"Good!" Fuji responded with a delighted voice. "Let him in!"

A slight pause, and the sliding doors were opened, revealing Tezuka and the small, grumpy figure behind him. Ryoma stepped forward into the room, before Tezuka closed the door and left them alone.

Ryoma glared at Fuji and frowned, but to the prince, it almost looked as if Ryoma was pouting.

"Good evening, Echizen," Fuji greeted. "Did you sleep well?"

"No thanks to you," Ryoma replied dryly.

Fuji stood up from his chair and walked towards Ryoma, patting the shorter bodyguard's head. Ryoma smacked Fuji's hand away, annoyed.

"Now, now, that attitude is very unbecoming as a royal bodyguard," Fuji reprimanded, but his tone suggested that he was more amused than offended.

Ryoma hmphed. "What do you want?"

"Maybe I want to be friends?" Fuji said while tilting his head, as if he did not know the answer to this question either.

"Almost poisoning your new bodyguard with that disgusting drink was definitely the first step to eternal friendship, Your Highness," Ryoma answered with sarcasm. "If there's nothing else, I'm stepping out and guarding the door."

"All right! Have fun!"

Ryoma stared at Fuji with confused eyes, as if asking "How can guarding duty possibly be fun?" without speaking the words themselves. Swiftly, Ryoma turned towards the door and left, without giving Fuji another chance to interact with him.

—

Over the years, Fuji had realized that all of his bodyguards did different things while guarding him. Eiji would talk to himself sometimes, Momo would do some practice swings with his sword, and Kaidoh would pace around.

And then there was Tezuka, who only stood there as if he was a strong, unmoving mountain of strength.

If there was one person to compare Ryoma to, it would be Tezuka. Both were silent and strong, and both never moved away from the door – at least, Ryoma had not moved after a few hours of standing, as seen through the shadow casted onto the somewhat see-through sliding door.

However, there were some differences: Tezuka's guarding, while silent, was very intense. Fuji was always amazed and slightly concerned by the constant high alert Tezuka was on. Whenever Fuji seemingly approached the door, Tezuka would turn around, most likely to greet him in case Fuji opened the door.

On the other hand, Ryoma's guarding felt more like meditating. Ryoma did not turn around like Tezuka did even if Fuji walked close to the door, and it almost made Fuji wonder if Ryoma was sleeping on the job, which was quite possible. Nevertheless, when Fuji pretended he was about to open the door, the prince noticed a slight twitch in Ryoma's shadow, suggesting that his bodyguard was not only awake, but at least knew of Fuji's movements somewhat.

 _How interesting._

Whenever Fuji was not trying to escape from his own room, he appreciated Tezuka's guarding a lot. His presence made it feel safe, and his silence made it easy to sleep. Ryoma's guarding, while feeling a lot milder in nature, made Fuji feel the same way.

But, this was one of those nights in which Fuji wanted to escape from his room to go to a public viewing of cherry blossoms, as he was unable to do on the previous night.

The prince tested it multiple times: he stepped close to the door, then away, and walked towards the window on the side of his room. Ryoma's movement whenever Fuji approached the door did not resurface when Fuji stepped close to the window instead, possibly suggesting that Ryoma's alert was slightly less intense when the prince was away from the door.

 _Good,_ Fuji thought.

After a fifth test, Fuji climbed onto his bed and pretended to sleep for around thirty minutes. Then quietly, he opened the window, lifted one leg up, and climbed over.

When the prince landed on the other side of the window, he cheered silently in excitement until he found his new bodyguard turning around the corner, looking at him with confused eyes.

 _Shit._

"What are you doing, Your Highness? You've been so restless the entire night," Ryoma asked, his tone laced with half concern and half annoyance.

Fuji's mind raced in a million directions, attempting to find an excuse to let himself off the hook.

"I… wanted a drink of water, so I figured I'd go get some from the kitchen," Fuji replied after some thought. Even the prince himself thought that his excuse sounded pathetic.

Ryoma stared at Fuji for a bit, as if deep in thought.

Fuji wondered if he was in trouble.

"Ne, I've been wondering," Ryoma answered, "are you trying to sneak out to the courtyard to practice your swordsmanship?"

Fuji's heart began pounding wildly during the first half of the question, but the latter half only made him confused.

"The captain mentioned that you are one of the best swordsman of this generation. He called you a genius," Ryoma explained, and Fuji noticed that his bodyguard's eyes gleamed in excitement. "With so much paperwork you have to do, I can see why you would want to sneak off during the night to practice."

Fuji took a few seconds to compose himself, then let out a sigh.

"You've caught me," Fuji lied with a smile. "That's right. I was sneaking off to practice. I wanted to relax a little bit before sleeping."

Ryoma stayed silent, and Fuji did not dare to move and disturb his thinking. After a short time, Ryoma nodded to himself.

"Your Highness, would you please follow me?" Ryoma asked.

Now Fuji was even more confused than he was before. What did Tezuka say to this boy?

"Sure," replied the prince.

The two walked along the corridor which wrapped around Fuji's room and found themselves in the back of the building, where the courtyard was located. Before Fuji could react to anything else, he caught a sheathed katana that was thrown in his direction from Ryoma.

Fuji saw his bodyguard unsheathing a katana.

"Your Highness, I wish to spar with you," said the bodyguard.

Fuji was almost left speechless.

"I thought Tezuka would be careful enough to tell you on the first day that this is against the rules."

"Oh, he did mention it," Ryoma answered with a mischievous smile. "But it was not an order, was it? Besides, being your bodyguard, if _you_ wanted to practice your swordsmanship, I don't see a reason to refuse."

 _It was not an order, but it doesn't mean you won't be punished for this if we're found out,_ Fuji said in his mind, but decided to stay silent to Ryoma.

"When I thought about practicing, I was not thinking about sparring with you, Echizen-kun. I was hoping to do it alone," Fuji spoke, making an effort to make Ryoma leave him alone.

"But what fun is practicing alone? There's not much to gain when you have no opponents, isn't that right, Mr. Genius? Or… are you afraid of losing to me?" Ryoma taunted.

Fuji opened his eyes at the challenge. The prince had not been so openly confronted by anyone ever since he was a child.

"Very well, I shall accept your challenge."

* * *

 **Author's note: I'm writing this in stream of consciousness style, so I'm just making up the story as I go. I have a general idea of how the story will end, so hopefully this won't screw me over. xD**

 **As always, reviews are appreciated! Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: I really need to stop uploading these at ungodly hours. This is why nobody reads these. :,D Oh well.**

 **This chapter is a slightly longer chapter than last chapter... half because last chapter was too short, and half because this story is too much of a slow burn even for me :P**

 **Edit (3/24/2018): Fixed dialogue related grammar errors.**

* * *

Chapter 4

—

Fuji did not have a high expectation for Ryoma's swordsmanship skills.

Not that he did not believe in Tezuka's judgment, but it was also a fact that Fuji was stronger than all his bodyguards except Tezuka himself. Thus, the prince expected the new bodyguard to be only on the level of the rest of his bodyguards, if not lower.

"Ready when you are, Your Highness," Ryoma challenged with a cheeky grin.

During the short while Fuji examined the katana he was given, his bodyguard had walked to the other side of the courtyard. The boy raised his katana and pointed it at Fuji – a clear challenge.

"Please go easy on me," Fuji replied with a smile, unenthusiastically.

Fuji noticed that Ryoma's initial stance was that of an offensive strike. Preparing himself for the hit, Fuji switched to his defensive form.

The first strike came _much faster_ than he predicted.

Barely parrying it on time, Fuji quickly tilted his blade to catch the second strike. Knocking the attacking blade away from himself, Fuji disengaged from the close-ranged combat and retreated a safe distance.

Ryoma observed the prince's movements carefully. Since Fuji did not attack, Ryoma took it upon himself to unleash the second round of barrage. The bodyguard began with a round of rapid-fire lunges, all of which were cleanly blocked by Fuji, then proceeded to turn and unleashed a horizontal slash.

Fuji dodged backwards, and the battlefield was reset once more as the distance between them increased.

The prince noticed that his bodyguard was sporting a frown, then the boy let out a 'tsk' and switched the katana from his right hand to his left.

"A southpaw?" Fuji asked for confirmation.

"What do you think?" Ryoma answered with a question, a taunting smile plastered on his face.

"Quite a curious fighting style you have, Echizen. It's unorthodox."

"In what way?"

"You leave yourself open," Fuji answered, his index finger tracing the blunt edge of the katana. "Your defense is weak during your attacks. I believe this is not the standard move set that is taught amongst the contemporary samurais."

"Offense," Ryoma replied, readying his katana, "is the best defense, Your Highness. This time, I'll make sure you can't run away."

Ryoma became even _faster._

It was a second too late before Fuji realized that Ryoma was already right in front of him, not allowing enough time for a backwards leap. Instinctively, Fuji raised his katana in front of him and successfully blocked the incoming downward slash. The prince swung his blade, pushing back Ryoma's katana and made his bodyguard leave himself vulnerable to a hit. Fuji aimed at Ryoma's open spot and attacked for the first time.

His attack was met with an unexpected sound of clashing steel.

Shocked, Fuji turned his head to see his bodyguard flexibly switched hands once again, making the previously vulnerable area completely protected. Ryoma moved away from Fuji's sword, then transferred the katana back to his dominant hand.

Fuji could feel his adrenaline begin to rush.

"What's wrong? Weren't you going to attack my weakness?" Ryoma mocked.

"How interesting," Fuji commented with a smile and opened eyes. "I can see why Inui and Kaidoh lost to you now. I nearly did not believe Tezuka when he told me about this."

Fuji thought he heard a faint sound of thunder, but he could not care less at the moment.

A new round of attacks began.

For each of Ryoma's attacks, Fuji had a perfect counter for it; however, for each of Fuji's counters, Ryoma would have a different reaction to counteract it. It was almost like a dance of two, both sides exchanging blows back and forth, pushing and pulling. This was meant to be a simple sparring session, one where neither side released its full power, and Fuji was certain that Ryoma initially meant for it to be that way.

And yet, Ryoma began using more and more unique and interesting moves, and Fuji started to rack his brain to come up with new counter methods.

Abruptly, a move tipped the balance of power.

Ryoma swung his blade downwards after seeing an opening, and Fuji swung his katana upwards from a stance meant for a horizontal slash. The force from Fuji's blade was so large that it almost disarmed Ryoma in an instant. Stunned, Ryoma retreated a distance and reassessed the situation.

"Higuma Otoshi," Fuji explained, "one of my Triple Counters."

"Are you finally getting serious, Your Highness?" Ryoma asked with an excited grin.

"Only because you were unleashing your moves left and right, and it would be rude not to respond in kind," Fuji answered with a confident smile.

A drop of rain fell onto Ryoma's cheek, then another one. Soon after, rain began pouring down. However, the two people in the courtyard began another round of exchanges without saying a word.

Ryoma initiated more downward swings, and Fuji began to counter each and every one with Higuma Otoshi. In a mere twenty minutes, Ryoma had figured out a way to shrug off the force from the move and swiftly return to perfect battle condition. Fuji could not help but be impressed and awed by Ryoma's speed of improvement.

The power balance between the two had been restored.

The pair was about to continue the sparring until a voice interjected.

"What are you two doing in the rain?"

It was Tezuka, carrying an umbrella, who arrived at Fuji's room originally to take over Echizen's post. Ryoma was so invested into the sparring session that he forgot his shift was over a while ago.

Neither Fuji nor Ryoma said anything to the captain; both simply acknowledged his presence, while continuing to observe each other.

"Echizen," Tezuka commanded, "you are to leave your post immediately. Your shift is over. Report to me before the morning assembly."

Sighing loudly in disappointment, Ryoma sheathed his katana and left his battle stance. Fuji did the same and returned the sword he was holding back to his bodyguard.

Ryoma bowed to Fuji and Tezuka individually and mumbled, "Please excuse me."

Then the young bodyguard left silently. Tezuka turned towards Fuji.

"Your Highness," Tezuka said, "please come indoors. You should not be standing in the rain."

There was no response from the prince. In fact, from Tezuka's eyes, Fuji almost looked as it he was stuck in some sort of trance. The usual smile Fuji sported was gone, replaced with a serious, thoughtful expression. A streak of lightning cracked from the clouds, and the prince looked up, staring into the distance.

"Fuji," Tezuka put his hand on the prince's shoulder.

Fuji looked at the captain in shock, pupils constricting for a split second before returning to normal. After a few seconds, Fuji regained his usual poise.

"You called me by my name. How rare," Fuji commented.

"Let's go back inside. You cannot stay in the rain."

"Tezuka, is this why you picked him?" asked Fuji before Tezuka could get him out of the rain. "Because of this… thrill?"

It took a minute for Tezuka to pick his words, then he replied, "I chose him for his potential."

"I see."

Slowly, the two returned indoors. Tezuka escorted Fuji to the bathroom to clean himself after being soaked from head to toe, and while taking a bath, Fuji took a long time to ponder the events that occurred just moments ago.

The adrenaline rush was taking its sweet time to fade.

After finishing the bath and returning to his own room, Fuji's night remained almost sleepless.

–

Fuji woke up the next morning with a massive headache and accompanying dizziness. His face was hot, and his clothes were drenched in sweat. Yet, as soon as he lifted his blanket to get up, he felt the chilling air in the room and immediately wrapped his blanket around himself again.

The prince glanced towards the door; if he had to guess from the shadow of the bodyguard on duty at the moment, it would be…

"Kaidoh," Fuji voiced, slightly surprised by how raspy his voice sounded, "can you come in?"

The door to Fuji's room slid open silently, and Kaidoh's figure emerged from the door. The viper hissed in shock as soon as he saw Fuji's pale complexion and quickly approached Fuji's bed to check up on the prince.

"I'm sorry about this, but," Fuji coughed, "can you ask for Inui? I think I need his medical assistance."

Kaidoh nodded and hurriedly scrambled to find Inui, the only one of all the bodyguards with a certified license in medicine. Very rarely, when Fuji fell sick, Inui would be the one to make medicine for him. These days, however, Fuji didn't become ill very often.

 _Hopefully Inui's skills haven't turned rusty yet_ , thought the prince.

When Inui arrived, he instantly checked up on Fuji's condition. After jotting down some notes on his notebook, he closed it and looked at Fuji with a serious face.

"This is a good opportunity. I guess this will make you my new guinea pig for my newly improved Inui Juice," Inui said, his glasses glinting.

"I thought you are supposed to heal me?" Fuji answered jokingly. "Inui, can you not report this to Tezuka?"

Inui fell silent.

"I'm guessing he already knows then," Fuji sighed in disappointment.

It was not that Fuji did not want Tezuka to worry. That was partially true – the captain had a tendency to worry a little too much over Fuji (although no one could best Oishi in the worrying department), but it was the problems which the worrying caused that made Fuji reluctant to tell Tezuka about his sickness.

All this time, Fuji had wanted to leave the palace. Now that Tezuka knew of his illness, he would most likely increase security to watch over him for these few days.

Which meant that his chances of going outside was becoming slimmer.

Before Fuji could continue his thoughts, Inui handed him a cup of mysterious liquid. Fuji raised his eyebrow, then drank it without any questions. The cool liquid quenched a thirst that he was not aware of, and the heat inside his body became slightly more tolerable.

"Fuji-senpai, I'm sorry," Kaidoh, who was standing beside Inui, apologized. "When I looked for Inui-senpai, he was reporting to the captain, so I-"

"It's okay, Kaidoh. I understand," Fuji cut him off before Kaidoh could finish, and the prince yawned.

From the corner of Fuji's eye, he could see Inui motioning Kaidoh to leave the room. The two left silently, then Fuji hugged his blankets and fell asleep once more.

–

Fuji slept until evening. He woke up, still slightly heating up, when he felt someone entering his room from the window, so he sat up from his bed and examined his room. There was no one, but the window was opened even though Fuji was certain it was closed before he slept.

Moonlight spilled into the room and illuminated the scenery outside of the window. The sole cherry blossom tree stood elegantly outside, releasing its petals into the rays of the moonlight.

Fuji took a moment to gaze outside, then closed his window cautiously. As soon as he did, he felt the presence of a person behind him.

"If I were an assassin, you'd be dead by now, Your Highness," a familiar voice joked.

"But you're not an assassin, are you?" Fuji asked in return. "Well, Echizen?"

"Che, you knew?" Ryoma clicked his tongue.

Fuji had only guessed that it was Ryoma. As soon as a person entered the room and he was still alive after the fact, Fuji knew it had to be one of his bodyguards. At first, Fuji thought it might have been Kikumaru, but then dismissed the thought as Kikumaru was still being grounded by Tezuka, which led to only one other candidate who was nimble enough to pull this off.

"I thought Tezuka would have grounded you. He did it for Eiji, you know?"

"Oh, he did suspend me," Ryoma brushed off the question. "He told me to go reflect on what I did wrong."

"And did you?" Fuji asked in slight concern.

"I did," Ryoma grinned triumphantly at Fuji. "My biggest mistake was getting caught. It won't happen again."

Fuji did his best to stifle his giggle.

Ryoma found a chair, moved it in front of Fuji's bed, and sat down. The bodyguard then switched to a more serious expression, his arms crossing. "So what were you actually trying to do last night?" he questioned.

Fuji paused for a few seconds, then said, "Didn't I say that I wanted to practice?"

Ryoma's expression twisted into one of disbelief. "You're lying," he stated.

"How did you know?"

"In the beginning of our spar, your sword swings could not be more unmotivated, Your Highness. I'm not sure if you noticed it yourself."

The prince did not peg Ryoma as an observant person. Ryoma's statement caused Fuji's opinion of his bodyguard to heighten, but at the same time, Fuji became more cautious of him and more hesitant to tell him the truth.

Fuji wondered whether Ryoma would leave if he ignored the question or waited long enough.

Conflicted on whether or not he should say anything, Fuji looked away from Ryoma and stared at the wall. The bodyguard did not move an inch from his seat and patiently waited. The quietness stretched for a long time before Fuji gave in.

"I wanted to go outside," Fuji murmured.

Ryoma blinked and did not say anything.

"It's always been an unspoken rule for someone of my social status to not attempt to leave the palace, even in the accompany of bodyguards," the prince continued. "And usually I don't try to go outside, but these few days…"

Fuji stopped. Ryoma tilted his head, motioning for Fuji to continue speaking. The pause stretched for a few moments, then Fuji spoke again.

"You may think this is stupid, but there is a flower viewing in the downtown area these few days."

"Flower viewing? Oh, for the cherry blossoms?" Ryoma asked.

After receiving no reply, Ryoma assumed it was an implied 'yes'. Quietly, Ryoma stood up from his chair, then turned around, his back facing Fuji. His arms reached behind him, as if he was planning to hold on to something.

Fuji stared, then realized, "A piggyback ride, for me? Why?"

Ryoma smirked mischievously, "A princess carry is fine with me too, _Your Highness._ "

The corner of Fuji's lips twitched. "I wasn't asking about that."

"I thought you wanted to go outside?" said the bodyguard. He could see the prince's body tense up at the words, so he reassured Fuji, "Relax. It's Momo-senpai out there guarding you right now. I already promised him that as long as he doesn't spill anything to the captain, I will take full responsibility if we get caught. Besides, he already knows I'm in here."

"That did not explain anything. Why a piggyback ride? I can walk," Fuji countered.

"But you're sick, aren't you?" Ryoma answered. "We need to be as stealthy as we can be so we can sneak out. Just trust me on this one."

Fuji thought about it, then he took Ryoma's hand.

Ryoma, holding onto Fuji behind him, left through the window.

Fuji found out that his bodyguard was a much more accomplished warrior than he initially thought; after they left the room, Ryoma had traversed through the heavily guarded palace without a single sound. The technique Ryoma was using – formally known as _keiko –_ was a move from a martial art originated from a different country. Kikumaru was a natural user of this technique, but other than him, not many people had the ability to pull off this move. While Ryoma was clearly not as proficient, he was good enough to sneak around the palace with a person behind him without making a sound.

Ryoma was able to escape from the palace very quickly.

However, as soon as he passed the palace walls, the bodyguard stopped in his tracks.

"What's wrong?" Fuji asked.

Ryoma gave a slightly delayed response, "Do you know the way?"

"You don't?"

Ryoma did not answer, but Fuji could see a frown marking his face. The prince let out a small laugh, which led to him receiving a prompt glare from his bodyguard.

"Don't cry if I drop you onto the ground right here, right now."

Fuji ignored his threat and said, "Go straight. I'll tell you when you should turn."

Following Fuji's directions, Ryoma swiftly travelled through the small woods that surrounded the palace and reached the downtown area.

There was a small breeze, and Fuji could see flower petals in the air.

The two arrived at a very spacious park. It was late at night, and many people were already leaving. After a quick survey of the park, Ryoma let Fuji down to walk. Still somewhat feverish, Fuji followed the path in the park, and Ryoma trailed behind him.

The decorative lights hanging from the trees painted the scene with a dreamy atmosphere. To Fuji, it was almost a scene from another world that he had never known – a world outside of the palace. He could feel his stress slowly drifting away, and his thoughts turning more incoherent.

"Ne, Echizen," Fuji started.

His bodyguard looked at him silently.

"Why did you do this?"

Ryoma pondered, and chose his words carefully, "I wanted to apologize. Your fever was kind of my fault."

"I see."

As the two walked along the way, they made several small talks.

–

"Echizen, I don't think any normal person would use real katanas for sparring. Isn't that dangerous?"

"If you thought it was dangerous, you should have stopped me before we began. I don't bring wooden swords with me."

"I liked it. We should do it again."

–

"Echizen, why don't you call me something other than 'Your Highness'? All… well, most of my other bodyguards do that when we are alone."

"…Fuji-senpai, then."

"'Senpai'?"

"I heard Momo-senpai calling you that. It seemed appropriate."

–

"Echizen, you should smile more. It looks good on you."

"And you should smile less, Fuji-senpai."

–

"Ne, Echizen," Fuji stopped walking all of a sudden, causing Ryoma to stop in his tracks as well, "why did you bring me here? I know you wanted to apologize, but no apology should warrant this kind of risk – the risk of Tezuka punishing you even further."

Ryoma, who was looking at Fuji the entire time they were walking, looked away for the first time. He stared at the trees, as if he was only noticing them now, "I don't believe locking you up like a prisoner is a good idea."

"No one w-"

"Then you were the one locking yourself up," Ryoma cut him off with certainty. "Why are you doing that?"

Fuji could not come up with an answer; it was true that no rules truly bounded him to the palace. Unlike being the emperor, nothing other than unsaid customs and threats of the outside world retained him within the palace walls.

"You're a prince, not the emperor," Ryoma continued. "If you make yourself this stressed when you have so much freedom, being an emperor is only going to be harder."

Fuji asked, "So… you won't discourage me from leaving the palace?"

"Why would I?" Ryoma asked back. "A crown prince that does not experience the threats of the outside world is what makes an ignorant emperor."

Those were words that were never spoken to Fuji. It took the prince by surprise; for all his life, he had thought that there was no need to go outside other than to fulfill his own selfishness. For all his life, he had been scared because of verbal threats and not truly experiencing life itself.

"You are surprisingly inspirational, Echizen."

Fuji wondered if it was his fever acting up. He thought he could see Echizen's eyes glittering in confidence, almost as if his eyes were made of gold.

The prince had never seen such spirited eyes.

"And you, Fuji-senpai," Echizen beamed, "mada mada dane."

* * *

 **Author's Note: Woot! I got it done early this month! :D I'm proud of myself.**

 **Now back to grinding for Tenirabi. I hate them for releasing consecutive events with no breaks in between.**

 **Please review! I really want feedback and criticism and I'm getting desperate. :,D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: I know I said the next update is going to be in April in my profile, BUT I LIED! HA!** **Okay, it's because I have some time during spring break and I am procrastinating. Next update might actually be in April. Or early May. Not sure yet.**

 **Either way, I'm back to writing short chapters, because I'm incapable of writing long ones.**

 **Edit (3/24/2018): Fixed dialogue related grammar errors.**

* * *

Chapter 5

–

Once Fuji and Ryoma returned to the palace safely, the two did not meet each other for a while. The prince later found out that his bodyguard did not receive a one-day suspension, but a three-day suspension for what happened in the rain. After that, Fuji was too busy with his work to even consider visiting Ryoma.

Then, exactly one week later, Ryoma stood at the entrance of Fuji's workroom for the bodyguard's first daytime shift.

Seeing Ryoma for the first time in a while, Fuji could not help but be excited and apprehensive at the same time. The both of them kept complete silence on everything related to what happened that day, so much so that even Fuji himself had doubts about whether the events of that night actually happened. The prince hoped that it was not simply an imagination from his freedom-deprived mind.

After opening the door to his workroom, the sight of Ryoma standing by his door started a feeling of anxiousness that he could not shake off. It was as if there was an invisible wall between them, barring Fuji from speaking to his bodyguard about what was on his mind. The unease caused him to lift his hand and reach out to Ryoma, before retracting in uncertainty.

But before Fuji could greet his bodyguard or do anything else, Ryoma opened his mouth first and greeted, "Fuji-senpai."

 _Ah._

Fuji's apprehensiveness vanished, and he smiled brightly.

"Good day to you, Echizen," Fuji replied.

Ryoma nodded back at him and did not say anything. Fuji let him inside, and his bodyguard examined the room in curiosity.

It was a workroom with many books and logs that detailed the duties of the crown prince. Fuji observed his bodyguard as Ryoma showed clear interest in some of the books and approached the bookshelves. Ryoma looked back at Fuji, brows furrowing, after sensing Fuji's eyes on him.

"Don't you have work to do?" asked the bodyguard.

Fuji only smiled. "Don't worry about it. You can read all the books on the shelves if you wish."

Ryoma hummed in response; from the bodyguard's expression, Fuji could tell that Ryoma was pleased. His bodyguard then picked a book from the bookshelves and chose a spot at the corner of the room, sat down, and began to read.

Fuji was beyond fascinated by his observations – not only did Ryoma pick the same spot as Tezuka to sit down, the new bodyguard was almost just as quiet as the captain, the only sound heard from him being the flipping of the pages. There were also some differences: while Tezuka sat in perfect seiza during his day shift, Ryoma chose to lean back, legs stretching as far as they could reach.

 _Almost like a cat,_ Fuji added in the back of his mind.

Eventually, the prince returned to his paperwork absentmindedly. From time to time, Fuji would look up from his paperwork at Ryoma, who only kept reading in carefreeness. Distracted from his own work, Fuji decided to talk to this bodyguard.

"Ne, Echizen," Fuji started.

Ryoma peeled his eyes away from the book and looked at the prince, annoyance clearly written on his face.

"How much do you know about the current political climate?" asked the prince.

Ryoma raised an eyebrow before asking back, "Which part?"

Fuji hummed in consideration, then replied, "Let us talk about international relations. I want to quiz you on this topic so I can gauge how much I can talk to you about."

"Gauge? Why would you need to do that? I thought your bodyguards don't need to deal with anything political," Ryoma questioned, his eyes narrowing.

"They do not. However, if they prove themselves to be adept in this area, I will not hesitate to consult them for advice in times of need."

Ryoma grinned teasingly. "Oh? You mean you once considered _Momo-senpai_ and _Kikumaru-senpai_ to be possible consultants? Mada mada dane."

The edge in his voice was clearly heard, and Fuji let out a laugh, "Now, now, that's very impolite to your senpais."

Neither of them pointed out that Fuji did not defend his friends, either.

Ryoma went back to reading, thinking that Fuji was joking about his quiz. After an awkward silence, Ryoma decided to take a peek at Fuji and found that Fuji was staring at him the entire time. Ryoma widened his eyes in shock, then realized that Fuji was expecting an answer.

Sighing, Ryoma bookmarked his book and closed it.

"I guess I know a little bit about the big powers, at least," Ryoma murmured in response unwillingly.

Fuji beamed, "Go on."

Ryoma continued in hesitation, "There are four powerhouses currently – Seishun, Hyotei, Shitenhoji, and Rikkai. Atobe Keigo recently rose to the throne in Hyotei due to the passing of the previous emperor. As for Rikkai, Sei-"

There was an abrupt stop.

"Yukimura Seiichi," Ryoma continued, "rose to power after overthrowing the previous emperor. He allied with Shitenhoji's Shiraishi shortly after ascending to power."

Fuji, seemingly satisfied with Ryoma's answer, happily responded, "You described the situation very well. A lot better than Momo or Eiji ever could."

"Aren't you the one being rude to your friends?" Ryoma asked in a sassy tone.

"Nonsense," Fuji shrugged nonchalantly. "Anyway, what is your opinion on Rikkai's recent behavior?"

The question raised an expression of slight concern on Ryoma's face, something Fuji thought he would never see on his bodyguard. Maybe the prince was comparing his new bodyguard too much to the captain.

"Yukimura is clearly planning something," Ryoma answered. "We don't know what he is planning, but his policies have been very aggressive towards other countries. By allying with Shitenhoji, he gained a lot of power and created a lot of unrest amongst all the countries surrounding Rikkai. To be very honest with you, Fuji-senpai… Your Highness, Seishun is not in a good position."

Fuji knew the reason why Ryoma would say that. Out of all the big powers, Seishun was the only one without young blood on the throne. While Fuji's father was far from an incompetent ruler, most people would agree that Fuji Syusuke, the one who had been silently handling certain issues in the background, held far more importance to the country and could likely rule more efficiently. If a big power such as Rikkai were to invade, Fuji Syusuke being on the throne would be much more beneficial to the country.

And yet, Fuji had not ascended to the throne, because of the prince's own refusal.

Fuji looked down at his paperwork and clenched his fists. Ryoma, noticing the lack of a reply, returned to his reading. Occasionally, Ryoma would sneak a worried glance towards the prince before continuing his reading.

Suddenly, Fuji broke the silence, "What is your relationship with the previous emperor of Seishun, Echizen Nanjiroh?"

The silence between the two was deafening. Ryoma stared at the prince in surprise, then replied, "I am not related to that man you speak of."

The denial was clearly faked, but Fuji did not bother to expose the lie. Instead, he asked, "What do you think of the man's actions before his abdication?"

The reply was instant. "I do not claim to understand anything that man does," Ryoma said while closing his book. "My shift is over. I will be returning to the bodyguards' quarters."

Ryoma's responses were so short and blunt that Fuji was afraid that he had accidentally angered his young bodyguard. The prince hurriedly called out his bodyguard's name and chasing after Ryoma, who walked towards the door, before his head was met with a tap from the cover of a book.

"Ow," muttered Fuji.

Ryoma smiled playfully at the prince, "That was a good talk. It's nice to know that guard duty is not boring all the damn time."

 _But you did not like the topic, did you?_ Fuji thought to himself. "I'll make sure to find something better to talk about next time."

Ryoma nodded to the prince in satisfaction before leaving Fuji to his duties. When Fuji returned to his table, the prince found himself more distracted that he was ever before and spaced off until the next bodyguard arrived.

–

The day flew by as Fuji found himself continuing to space off into random thoughts, and nighttime arrived at Seishun. After having a filling dinner, the prince was escorted back to his personal room by his bodyguard on duty, Kawamura. Fuji attempted to fall asleep, but all he could do was stare at the ceiling inside his room.

Suddenly, a muffled scream penetrated the air.

Fuji sat up in alarm. He recognized the voice; it belonged to Kikumaru.

Panicked, Fuji slammed his door open and dashed away from his room before Kawamura could stop him. Quickly reaching the bodyguards' quarters, he searched from Kikumaru's room and opened the door forcefully.

"Eiji!" exclaimed the prince.

The last thing Fuji expected was a crying Kikumaru, safe and sound, with the presence of other (terrified) bodyguards.

"Fuji!" Kikumaru glomped the prince in a bear hug. "Listen to me! Inui is terrible!"

In the darkness, Fuji could see a slightly horrified Ryoma inching towards him. The young boy then clung onto Fuji, clutching the prince's kimono with trembling hands. Bewildered, Fuji patted Ryoma's head softly, which surprised the prince when Ryoma did not smack his hand away.

 _How interesting,_ Fuji thought. _He really is just like a kitten._

With Kikumaru on his right side and Ryoma on his left, Fuji felt as if he was being sandwiched by felines.

"Don't get the wrong idea, Fuji," Inui explained. "We simply decided to have a sleepover and tell ghosts stories. I was not 'being mean'."

"Eiji-senpai, you can't scream out loud like that. You just can't," complained Momoshiro, who also looked somewhat scared by the whole situation. "We can't let the captain find out about the sleepover, remember? And hey, Viper, where the hell do you think you're going?"

Kaidoh, suddenly called out by his fellow bodyguard, retreated from his escape route and hissed.

Taking a few seconds to assess the situation, the lack of Tezuka and Oishi's presence suddenly made a lot of sense to Fuji. Smiling sadistically, Fuji entered the room and closed the door behind him.

"Well, well, would you mind if I joined the party as well?" Fuji asked.

"Sure. Fire away," Inui answered for the rest of the group.

Calling Fuji a genius at taking advantage of the situation would _almost_ be an understatement. Within minutes, the prince managed to terrorize Kikumaru and all other bodyguards in the room (excluding Inui, who only scribbled down some data onto his notebook) even further with another ghost story, resulting in a room of wide-eyed, trembling bodyguards and a Kikumaru on the verge of tears.

The prince could feel Ryoma's trembling by his side, and when Ryoma noticed Fuji's vision on him, he stared back with frightened determination.

"I-I'm going to protect you from the ghosts as your bodyguard, I promise," Ryoma said while quivering, clutching onto Fuji's kimono as if it was a lifeline.

 _How adorable._

The prince had to hold himself back from giving his young bodyguard a hug.

"Please do," replied Fuji, patting Ryoma's head again successfully.

Soon, Kikumaru could no longer take the atmosphere in the room and let out another scream. This time, no one stopped him in time and thus triggered the arrival of the worried Oishi, and later the concerned Tezuka.

"Eiji!" exclaimed Oishi as he entered the room. Kikumaru swiftly switched targets from Fuji to Oishi and proceeded to glomp the vice-captain.

Tezuka then arrived and looked inside the room. "What is the meaning of this?" he questioned the group of bodyguards in the room. He then asked again, this time at Fuji, "And you, Your Highness, what happened to Kawamura?"

"Hello to you too, Tezuka," Fuji said in response. "We were just having a little fun. Oh, and please don't get angry at Taka-san. I'm sure he's very scared because he doesn't know where I ran off to."

After a short pause, Tezuka sternly commanded the bodyguards in the room, "Go back to your own rooms and report to me first thing in the morning."

Seeing that the fun was over, Fuji got Ryoma off of his kimono. Ryoma was no longer trembling after Oishi and Tezuka entered the scene, and seeing that the boy was no longer frightened, the prince attempted to leave the scene without anyone noticing. He wondered if Kawamura would forgive him for his impulsive behavior.

"Fuji," Tezuka's voice stopped the prince in his tracks.

Fuji turned around to face the captain silently.

"I do not approve of your actions tonight. No matter the emergency, your own safety must come first. In addition to that," Tezuka advised, "you do not have time to concern yourself with trifling matters such as these. Please only inform your bodyguards if something like this happens again."

Fuji's usual smile was replaced with a frown, and his blue eyes were revealed. Fuji gazed at Tezuka intensely, but Tezuka's facial expressions did not change, and the captain did not falter.

"Do not be careless," Tezuka added.

Fuji sighed, closing his eyes again, but his smile did not return, "Thank you for the advice, captain."

Fuji quietly returned to his room, alone.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Oh yes. The beginning of a real plot on this story after four chapters of setting up. What do you think? :D**

 **Please leave comments in reviews. It's always a nice boost in motivation to see people reviewing and following and leaving favorites. It really speeds up the updates.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note: This chapter is twice as long as a regular chapter! Hurrah! (It's actually because I feel guilty about not updating for a while even though so many of you reviewed and followed. And by the way, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR THE SUPPORT!)**

 **I'm also sad to announce that I probably will not be able to update until final exams are over for me, which means mid-May. I might try to squeeze in one more chapter before that but I might not succeed. Please forgive me.**

 **Enjoy the new chapter!**

 **Edit (5/3/2018): Fixed certain wordings to clarify the setting.**

* * *

Chapter 6

–

It had been several days since the sleepover incident, and Fuji desperately needed someone to talk to so that he could vent his frustrations. Badly.

The prince had attempted to talk to Kikumaru and even the seemingly all-understanding Kawamura during their shifts. While those two appeared to be sympathetic to Fuji's distress, their conversations always spiraled back to one specific topic.

Tezuka Kunimitsu.

Or, more accurately, Tezuka Kunimitsu's ideals.

It was not terribly surprising to Fuji; in the prince's opinion, if the captain – the pillar of Seishun – could not influence the rest of the team with his ideals, he would most likely be a failure of a captain. Fuji admitted to himself that he, despite not being a bodyguard, was also under the influence of Tezuka's brilliance. It would be more surprising if someone was _not_ inspired.

And yet…

Fuji sighed as he took a walk in the hallways. He could feel the beginning of a migraine.

Unknowingly, he bumped into a person, slightly losing balance.

"I'm sorry about that," Fuji quickly apologized, before realizing who he ran into. "Echizen?"

The small bodyguard blinked at the prince blankly, before greeting briefly, "Good day."

Ryoma's exit was almost as brief as his greeting, and Fuji did not manage to stop him before he was gone.

Fuji had wanted to talk to Ryoma as well, but every time the prince approached his young bodyguard, Ryoma was always doing something that felt important, such as swordsmanship practice, delivering items and messages to the captain, and leaving for a patrol within the city. Even when Ryoma was not doing anything in particular, Fuji could not bring himself to approach his bodyguard for some reason.

Just like the moment before this.

 _But it's fine,_ Fuji thought to himself. _Today is Echizen's morning-shift._

And thus, Fuji returned to his workroom and distractedly waited for Ryoma's arrival. Every time the prince attempted to focus on his work, his thoughts went into disarray from his own impatience.

Soon, when Fuji finally heard a familiar set of approaching footsteps, he raced towards the door and opened it.

Ryoma stood in front of the prince, staring obliviously and eyes wide.

"Hello, Echizen," Fuji greeted with a brighter smile than normal. "I've been waiting for you. Come in."

Ryoma nodded silently, looking slightly confused by Fuji's enthusiasm, and stepped inside the workroom. As always, the young bodyguard approached the bookshelves first as he suddenly felt a tug at the sleeve of his kimono. Ryoma raised his eyebrow as he glanced at Fuji in suspicion; a feigned frown – or was it a pout? – was clearly spread across the prince's face.

"E-chi-zen," Fuji said, dragging out the syllables longer than usual, "when are we going to go outside again?"

"Excuse me?"

"Outside," Fuji repeated. "It's very boring here."

Ryoma appeared to consider it for a moment, then replied, "I'll think about it."

 _It was not a 'no'._

Fuji sighed in both relief and disappointment. On one hand, this was the best response he had received from any of his bodyguards; on the other hand, Fuji had somewhat hoped for Ryoma to easily accept and bring him outside. Knowing that his bodyguard would not easily change his opinion, Fuji returned to his worktable and continued his work. Meanwhile, Ryoma sat down in his own corner like always and began reading.

Fuji noticed that more problems with international affairs were arriving at his table – a trade deal with Fudomine, a friendly visit to Rokkaku, and, worst of all, the ongoing concerns with Rikkai's aggressiveness, which was also affecting Seishun's relationship with Shitenhoji.

 _One thing at a time,_ Fuji told himself.

Fuji began going through all the proposals that were sent to his table. Soon, the prince was completely immersed in his work, and yet, the stacks of paper on his table were not getting any smaller.

After what seemed like hours, Fuji stood up from his chair and stretched. Fuji then noticed that Ryoma was not reading the book he was holding but looking at Fuji with a frown instead.

"What's wrong?" asked the prince.

Ryoma closed his book after bookmarking it. "How much work do you have left for today?"

Fuji turned his head to look at the stacks of paper on his desk. Over the few hours, there were servants that kept bringing more stacks, and it almost looked as if Fuji's work was never going to end.

"Some of these are not as urgent as the rest, like the visit to Rokkaku," Fuji answered. "I need to finish the details of the trade deal with Fudomine, at the very least."

"How about this?" Ryoma suggested. "If you finish finalizing the details of that trade deal, I'll bring you outside tonight."

Fuji's eyes widened in excitement. "Really? Is that a promise?"

"Sure," Ryoma answered unenthusiastically, but it was good enough for Fuji.

The prince, rejuvenated with motivation, hurriedly continued his work. In the next few hours, Fuji worked as hard as he had ever been. As soon as the trade deal's details were finished, he could barely stop himself from leaping from his seat in happiness.

Quickly leaving his chair, Fuji approached his bodyguard with unprecedented speed and sat down next to him. Ryoma's lips curled into a smirk.

"I must say, Fuji-senpai, you work slower than a snail."

Fuji's excited smile morphed into yet another frown. "Echizen, has anyone ever told you the words that come out of your mouth really don't suit your cute face?"

The bodyguard chose to ignore that comment; Fuji could see that the smirk turning into an annoyed scowl.

"Who is your bodyguard for the night shift?" Ryoma questioned.

Fuji took a moment to think, then replied, "I believe it is going to be Inui's shift."

Ryoma nodded to himself before standing up and putting the book in his hand back onto the bookshelf. It was not until Ryoma's muttering of "please excuse me" and heading towards the door did Fuji notice that it was already the end of Ryoma's shift.

Fuji felt as if Ryoma was gone in a blink.

The unexpectedly cold attitude filled the prince with worry – a feeling of anxiety that Ryoma might not fulfill his promise as well as an apprehensiveness that his bodyguard might be distancing himself from Fuji, just like many of his bodyguards did, either after discovering Fuji's inner personality or getting into trouble with Tezuka.

Fuji himself had expected it to happen eventually; he simply did not expect it to happen so soon.

As the prince waited for the next bodyguard to arrive to him, he could almost feel his heart growing emptier as the seconds flew by.

–

Fuji chose to drown himself in his work when Tezuka arrived in the workroom as the bodyguard taking over Ryoma's shift. The two nodded to each other before they both minded their own business.

The room was unnervingly soundless.

While Fuji tried his best to focus on his work, his mind kept wandering. He continuously wondered whether he did something to displease his latest bodyguard and whether his promise will be fulfilled. After he let out yet another sigh from his lips, the prince noticed Tezuka's eyes on him, staring sideways.

That look on Tezuka's face reminded Fuji of something, but he could not pinpoint exactly what he was reminded of.

"Tezuka?" Fuji asked. "It's not usual for you to stare like this."

"Is there something wrong?" Tezuka replied with a question. "You are not acting like you normally would, Your Highness."

Fuji was about to open his mouth and reply, then he jerked slightly and pursed his lips shut.

Of all people, Tezuka was the last person he could talk about his worries to.

It was not always like this. Fuji remembered being close to Tezuka when he was very young, back when they were both simply children that worry about nothing but having fun. They would train together in swordsmanship, study together, and even talk to each other about the silliest subjects.

At some point Fuji could no longer remember, their relationship changed. They would not have as much fun as they did, and Fuji stopped telling Tezuka certain things, especially his own feelings.

Even now, Fuji wondered if there was a way to change what happened to them, if he could figure out why.

"It's nothing," Fuji lied. "I'm just tired."

"Is that so?" Tezuka said while proceeding to stand up from his seiza. Fuji had always pondered how Tezuka's legs were not numb after hours of staying in the same position. "It is the end of my shift. Inui should be arriving shortly."

Shocked, Fuji looked out the window and found the moon hanging brightly in the night sky. He had been so lost within his own thoughts that he did not notice neither the dimming light within the room nor Tezuka's lighting of the candles so that he could continue his work.

The head captain bowed to Fuji and excused himself from the prince's presence. Only seconds later, Inui opened the door to the workroom and lightly bowed.

"Fuji, are you ready to migrate back to your bedroom?" Inui asked with one hand holding his notebook and the other adjusting his glasses.

"Inui, did Echi-" Fuji stuttered, then continued, "did someone come to you for a favor today?"

"Hm?" Inui looked surprised, then opened his notebook. "Interesting. Is someone supposed to come to me?"

"No, it's nothing," Fuji quickly backtracked.

Inui scribbled something in his notebook. Fuji doubted his usual smile was doing a good job covering up his disappointment.

Fuji then stepped out of his workroom, allowing Inui to accompany him back to his bedroom.

Along the corridor to his destination, the faint scent of cherry blossoms lingers in the air. Yet when Fuji looked at the tree in the courtyard, most of the flowers had already wilted, petals dropped onto the ground.

The blooming season of cherry blossoms was over. But even still, whenever the prince looked at the cherry blossom tree, he was unwillingly reminded of that night… with that boy.

 _Fuji-senpai, mada mada dane,_ he said.

Fuji did not think he would be able to forget that bright smile anytime soon.

"Fuji?" Inui said, wondering why Fuji stopped in his tracks to look at the wilting flowers.

"Inui," Fuji responded after snapping out of a trance, "it seems like I have 'lots more to work on'. In so many ways."

Inui adjusted his glasses with his finger. "Did Echizen say something to you today?"

"Hm? Well, you could say that, but I was just remembering something that happened many days ago, that's all."

The conversation was dropped there, and the two proceeded back to Fuji's bedroom.

Upon entering, Fuji lit a candle. The light from the small fire illuminated small parts of the room, allowing the prince to locate his bed and wardrobe. Fuji sluggishly changed into a more casual attire and picked a storybook from his bookshelf to read.

After a few minutes, however, he was already getting bored. As he was about to leave for bathing, his front door was forcefully opened with a bang.

And Ryoma walked in, front and center, through that door.

"Echizen?"

Shock did not begin to cover Fuji's emotions at that moment.

"Good evening, Your Highness," Echizen greeted, cocky smile on his face just as always. "I see that you are not prepared to leave yet."

"How…?"

The prince felt his heart beating harder and his breathing becoming more rushed.

Inui, still beside the door, jotted down something in his notebook while his glasses glinted under the moon. The data-obsessed bodyguard answered, "Echizen had agreed to provide me with previously unseen data of him. Since he is currently the one, aside from Your Highness, that I possess the least amount of data of, I consented to bring you outside."

"But what about…?" Fuji asked; the name 'Tezuka' remained unspoken.

Inui reacted without hesitation, "Echizen has proven himself capable."

"Are you done yet?" Ryoma asked, impatience laced in his expression. "Fuji-senpai, go get changed already."

Fuji found it odd that his heartbeat was not anywhere close to slowing down, and his smile – the one that he usually had to force onto himself – refused to leave his face no matter how hard he tried.

It took a lot of effort for Fuji to twist his smile into a pretend pout (in order to tease his bodyguard a little).

"How mean, Echizen," Fuji complained. "I was in the middle of changing. How could you enter without announcing yourself first? Are you secretly a pervert?"

Fuji had to hold himself back from laughing when Echizen quickly blushed and his bodyguard's expression changed into a mixture of anger and embarrassment.

"I see. Good data," Inui murmured while writing. "The probability of Echizen being a closet pervert is now above 75%."

Ryoma stomped outside of the room and hmphed, "I'll be waiting outside, _Your Highness._ " The last part of that sentence was almost hissed.

The bedroom door was slammed shut, then Fuji finally let loose and laughed.

In a pleased mood, Fuji quickly changed into outdoors attire that is both easy to move in and very commonplace among the middle-class workers. It was an outfit he wore on occasion, whenever he went outside and had to disguise himself. Although it had been a long time since he last wore it, the attire still fit perfectly.

Happily opening his door, Fuji found his small bodyguard standing by one side of the door grumpily. Fuji swore that Ryoma was puffing up his cheek in anger.

The prince poked his cheek, and Fuji's hand was quickly slapped away.

"Ow."

"You're done, right?" Ryoma confirmed as he eyed the prince's outfit.

Not flashy, dull-colored, slightly tattered. Perfect.

Ryoma then turned his head, motioning for Fuji and Inui to follow. Both the prince and Inui rapidly trailed behind Ryoma, one of them much more enthusiastic than the other.

Following right behind his tiny bodyguard, Fuji wondered why the sight of Ryoma's back appeared so dependable, each step of his looked so strong, and his closeness felt so safe.

Within a few minutes, the three reached the backdoor of the palace. Fuji was surprised to find both Momoshiro and Kikumaru waiting there, and it appeared that those two were equally surprised to Fuji, as they both stared with gaping mouths.

"F-Fuji-senpai?"

"Fuji? W-what are you doing here, nya?"

Without even waiting for Fuji's response, Momoshiro grabbed Ryoma by his shoulders and shook him while the larger bodyguard exclaimed, "IS THIS WHAT YOU MEANT BY 'BRINGING A FRIEND'? You can't spring this on us like that all of a sudden! You just can't!"

"Not to mention Inui is here too!" Kikumaru worriedly looked at the data-collecting bodyguard.

Ryoma struggled against Momoshiro's monstrous strength and took a few tries before successfully removing himself from the crushing grip. Ryoma treaded a few steps backwards, stumbling slightly.

"I'm going to take responsibility for whatever happens," Ryoma announced to his friends.

"You are?" Momoshiro asked in disbelief.

"You are?" parroted Kikumaru, who then happily agreed. "Well, then there's no problem. Let's go!"

"Hey, wait a minute, Eiji-senpai!" Momoshiro voiced his worries to Kikumaru as the red-haired bodyguard already left the palace perimeter through the backdoor.

Ryoma, Fuji, and Inui quietly followed the energetic two outside the palace.

It was the first time Fuji left the palace through this backdoor, and he could not help but become excited by a sense of thrill that came along with the danger of zigzagging through the dark and unlit pathways just outside of the palace's protected walls. He glanced at Ryoma and found his bodyguard completely unfazed by the darkness, although Fuji surmised that Ryoma simply had no idea where he was going.

After a long walk towards the downtown area, the group arrived at their destination.

It was a festival – a celebration, to be exact. A party to celebrate the opening of a brand-new ramen shop, it appeared. And as a promotion, an eating contest was going to be held with prizes for the winning contestant.

The scene was crowded with people. Without shoving people around, it took the group more than a few minutes just to edge towards the shop front.

From Momoshiro's excited conversation with Kikumaru, Fuji deduced that Momoshiro wanted to win this contest for the prizes so that he could gift them to Tachibana An, his long-time crush but not-yet girlfriend (according to Inui's data, which is only 65% accurate when it came to romantic issues).

Fuji surveyed through the prize shelves, located just outside the contest area, and found something that caught his undivided attention. It was a small pot with a tiny, round, and spiked plant standing strongly upright, as if it was puffing up its chest in order to appear stronger.

"H-How cute!" Fuji exclaimed in happiness. "Is this what love at first sight feels like?"

"What? What are you looking at, Fuji?" Kikumaru curiously asked. Fuji extended his finger to point, and when Kikumaru's eyes landed on the small plant after following the finger, Kikumaru's facial expression twisted a flabbergasted one. Inui jotted down some notes while muttering something incomprehensible to the prince.

But before Kikumaru could comment anything, an announcer of the contest held out piece of paper rolled into the shape of a cone, and yelled at the top of his lungs, "Everyone! It is time for our very first ramen eating contest! Are you all ready?"

"YEAH!" the crowd cheered excitedly.

"We have many exciting prizes awaiting the winner! Now, let's introduce the contestants!"

There were sixteen contestants in total… or at least, there _were_ sixteen _originally._ Momoshiro sat down at the table with his name labeled on the seat, then jumped when he saw Ryoma was at the table desk right next to his.

"ECHIZEN?"

"OCHIBI?" Kikumaru almost screamed in surprise.

Hearing the exclamation from Kikumaru but did not listen to the content of his words, Fuji unwillingly tore his attention away from the plant and tried to find out what all the commotion was. Fuji's jaw almost dropped when he saw the tiny Ryoma sitting next to the tall Momoshiro, ready to eat his heart out.

"I thought you didn't want any of the prizes?" Momoshiro interrogated Ryoma.

"I still don't," Ryoma reacted nonchalantly. "But Inui-senpai insisted on obtaining new data on me before doing me a favor. So I thought I might as well eat some free food."

Meanwhile, the announced continued to introduce each of the seventeen contestants and leading them to their respective tables. After that was finished, he explained the rules, "The rules are simple! We provide you, the contestants, with ramen, and when you finish, we give you another bowl! And the one who eats the most wins! The ramen is sponsored by the host of this event, so fret not and eat to your heart's content!"

A bowl of ramen was placed in front of each contestant. All the contestants readied their chopsticks.

"Ready… Go!" shouted the announcer, and all the contestants began wolfing down the ramen.

Within seconds, Momoshiro and Ryoma finished their first bowl at the same time. Everyone was startled when Ryoma raised his bowl into the air, requesting a second one so quickly. Momoshiro himself almost choked from the astonishment, especially since everyone around Ryoma was at least twice the tiny bodyguard's size.

The second bowl arrived, and Ryoma finished it in equal speed as the first. Soon, many contestants were not able to take the large amounts of ramen anymore and quit the competition altogether. By the end, only Momoshiro and Ryoma were remaining.

"And… Time's up!" said the announcer, and Ryoma finished his last bowl barely in time and before Momoshiro did.

The announcer walked towards Ryoma, grabbed his arm, and raised it in a dramatic fashion for everyone to see. Ryoma looked as if he was being lifted into the air by his arm.

"The winner is Echizen Ryoma! Who would have thought that such a tiny body could consume that much ramen!" exclaimed the announcer.

"Damn it, what are you made of, Echizen?" Momoshiro cried and knelt down in frustration. Kikumaru patted his friend on his back as consolation, and Inui did nothing to comfort his companion and instead intensely wrote down lots of notes regarding Ryoma's ability to eat food.

Ryoma grinned proudly as the announcer led him towards the prize shelves. He ignored the growing hostile whispering of his last name 'Echizen' amongst the crowds and scanned for a prize he wanted. Fuji, who was standing close to the shelves, approached Ryoma with increased concern and glared at the crowd, wanting them to cease the chatter. Unfortunately, since Fuji was not recognizable in his attire, his glare did nothing substantial.

"Fuji-senpai?" Ryoma asked.

"Hm? Have you chosen your prize already?" Fuji redirected the question.

Ryoma blinked at Fuji, then told the announcer, "I'll take that… thing."

The small bodyguard pointed at the potted plant Fuji was staring at. The announcer then held the pot within his hand and commentated, "Ah, a wise choice! This cactus is a wonderful plant imported from a foreign country! It is not only easy to take care of, but it also blooms beautiful flowers!"

As soon as Ryoma took the pot from the announcer's hands, he immediately shoved it towards Fuji. Fuji paused, taking a few moments to process what just happened, then held one of Ryoma's hands in gratefulness.

"Thank you, Echizen," Fuji said with a pleased smile.

"Whatever. There was nothing I really wanted, though I don't understand what's so good about the plant in the first place," Ryoma answered.

"It looks just like you, doesn't it?" Fuji asked, holding the cactus in front of him so that Ryoma and the cactus are right next to each other in his vision.

"What? How in the world did you even come to that conclusion?" Ryoma asked, completely dumbfounded.

"It's small and cute and green and spiky," Fuji commented. "Just like you."

"I'm not like that at-" Ryoma hiccupped.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds, then Ryoma hiccupped again. Fuji let out a small giggle, which resulted from a death glare from Ryoma. It was most likely the food, Fuji thought. His bodyguard was probably not used to eating so much all at once.

Ryoma looked away, face slightly tinted red. Fuji put his hand on Ryoma's head and rubbed slowly, and, to Fuji's surprise, Ryoma did nothing but stare at the ground.

"This is the second time, ugh," Ryoma groaned in a soft voice.

"Hm?"

"I was hoping that I would not do anything like this in front of you anymore. I am not even seeing you frequently."

Ryoma's answer was vague and unclear. 'Anything like this' meant something similar had happened before that Ryoma wished to avoid. Fuji thought for a bit and extrapolated from Ryoma's answer.

 _Wait, is that why…?_

"Were you… avoiding me because you don't want to be reminded of what happened during the sleepover?"

The red color bloomed on Ryoma's face, and Ryoma's denial was loud and fast, "Of course not! What made you think that?"

Fuji concluded that his tiny bodyguard was not very talented at lying, of all things.

After rubbing Ryoma's head with a few more strokes, the prince decided to let the topic drop. Instead, he held his tiny bodyguard's hand with one hand and his tiny cactus on the other, then said, "Let's go back together, ne?"

Ryoma looked onto the ground and away from Fuji before nodding slightly.

They held hands all the way back to the palace.

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 **Author's note: Well, there they go! :D So many unexpected things happened in this chapter, even for me. I guess this is what happens when you don't plan out the story all that much.**

 **As always, please review! I always love to see comments and/or criticisms!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note: Did anyone miss me? I was gone for quite a while this time! Although it wasn't as long as the update between chapter 1 and chapter 2 when this fic first began.**

 **Finals are still not over yet for me. The next chapter might be slow to come out too, depending on how busy I am. I will try my best to update as fast as possible.**

 **Update (5/3/2018): Fixed naming convention of long vowels. Seriously those things are a pain in the butt.**

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Chapter 7

When the two arrived back in the palace, it was time for them to part ways, return to their rooms, and prepare for the following day.

Ryoma's hand was warm, Fuji thought to himself as held on to his bodyguard tightly. Ryoma's fingers were slim and his palm was rough and callused. As the tips of Fuji's fingers touched the back of Ryoma's hand, the bodyguard shivered slightly before adjusting his fingers and wrapped them around Fuji's.

Fuji was shocked. Not only was his normally somewhat distant bodyguard accepting his own hand, but Ryoma was actively holding onto him as well. Fuji glanced at Ryoma and let out a small laugh when he found Ryoma looking away from the prince the entire time, refusing to meet eye to eye. Ryoma's ears were somewhat pink, possibly from the chilliness of the night.

The two headed towards Fuji's bedroom. Security was slightly looser during the late night (especially since Momoshiro, Kikumaru, and Inui were still outside), allowing the two to sneak back relatively easily. After arriving in front of the bedroom door, Fuji reluctantly let his fingers loose. His bodyguard's hand remained on Fuji's for a few seconds, before sliding off quickly.

Fuji found himself already missing its warmth.

"It was very fun tonight, Echizen," Fuji began with his usual smile. "Thank you for listening to my request."

Ryoma shrugged and said nothing.

Fuji waited for his bodyguard to leave as they both stood quietly. Ryoma's eyes darted around – sometimes towards Fuji and then immediately away after meeting eyes with the prince. A cold breeze chilled the both of them, and Ryoma visibly quivered.

"Are you not leaving yet?" asked Fuji in a confused voice.

"I'm staying until Inui-senpai comes back for his shift, idiot. I can't possibly leave you unguarded, right?" Ryoma replied, as if he was silently questioning Fuji's intelligence.

Fuji knew he should be insulted by the name-calling, but somehow, he could not do anything but find his bodyguard's words both childish and cute. The prince patted Ryoma's head, earning a small glower from his bodyguard.

"Very well. Good night, Echizen," Fuji said and retreated into his bedroom. Before he turned away from Ryoma, he saw his bodyguard lowering his head into a slight bow, and Fuji closed his door.

Then the prince immediately regretted his decision.

He should have invited his bodyguard inside, he mused in an afterthought. The weather was cold, and it was technically not Ryoma's shift. If Ryoma decided that he wanted to ditch the post right now, no one could fault him for that (unless Fuji got into some real danger, in which Inui would probably be in more trouble than Ryoma).

In the end, Fuji decided against it. It was not something he usually offered to the rest of his bodyguards, and he saw no reasons to treat Ryoma differently.

The night passed slowly. In the prince's sleep, he could feel a comforting presence silently protecting him throughout the long darkness.

—

When the prince woke up in the morning, the first thing he found was the cactus on a desk next to his bed. At the sight of the small plant, Fuji could feel his heart beating faster and his emotions becoming more elated. Carefully avoiding the spikes, Fuji extended his finger and poked the plant.

The cactus stood firmly in its place and gave no response, but Fuji felt even more ecstatic nonetheless and made the decision to bring the plant with him to his workplace.

Which led to a scene which left Tezuka speechless when the captain entered the workplace with the intention of bringing the documents Fuji needed.

Not only did Fuji completely ignore Tezuka's presence, it was the first time Fuji slacked off during work in favor of something else. Tezuka watched silently as Fuji laughed brighter than he ever did during the past few months while playing with an inanimate plant.

It took more than 15 minutes for Fuji to finally stop tending to his plant and notice Tezuka. The moment he did, the smile on Fuji's face froze for a second before Fuji awkwardly cleared his throat, pushing the cactus pot to the side of his worktable, and greeted, "Good morning, Tezuka!"

"Good morning, Your Highness," Tezuka replied in the usual fashion.

"It's rare to see you come over when it's not your shift."

"There are some matters His Majesty would like to discuss with you in a meeting later today. His Majesty ordered me to deliver these papers to you," Tezuka answered, handing over a thin stack of papers.

"My father?" Fuji asked back, eyes wide in surprise. Holding onto the papers and quickly reading through them, Fuji's brows furrowed the more he progressed.

Fuji proceeded to sit up straight in his chair and reread the documents multiple times. Tezuka stood in front of Fuji without uttering a single word. Soon, Fuji stood up abruptly from his chair and inquired, "Tezuka, do you know His Majesty's schedule for today?"

"His Majesty does not have any appointments today and should be available to meet up with Your Highness at your request."

"Then I shall meet him now," Fuji hurriedly moved towards the door of his room. "I need to stop him from whatever he is planning to do with Rikkai. He might end up causing more trouble than good."

Tezuka nodded and rapidly followed Fuji. From Fuji's reaction, Tezuka could most likely tell why Fuji was in such a hurry. After all, there were only a few things in this world that could trigger such a reaction from the prince when Fuji himself loathed the formal meetings with his own father.

The corridors that led to the emperor's audience chamber were long and serpentine, but the two ran through it within a few short minutes. In front of the audience chamber's door stood Ryuzaki Sumire, the royal advisor of the emperor. Fuji stopped in front of the old, female royal advisor and panted for air, while the woman simply turned to face Fuji with a gentle smile.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, Syusuke?" Ryuzaki asked.

"Ryuzaki-sensei," greeted Fuji. "It truly has been a while. Is my father here, by any chance?"

Ryuzaki nodded. "He's been waiting for you. I told him to hold off his decisions until you came."

Fuji let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you, sensei. I owe you many thanks."

Ryuzaki said nothing and patted Fuji on his back. The prince took a deep breath, then opened the door to the audience chamber.

The chamber was unsurprisingly quiet, and in the middle of it sat the emperor of the country, Fuji's father. The emperor smiled at his son quietly, yet the prince was in no mood to return the greeting.

"Father," Fuji began. "You-"

"Syusuke," the emperor interjected, "how are you doing recently, my son? Are you working hard on the trade deal between us and Fudomine?"

Fuji let out a frustrated sigh. "Yes, Your Majesty. The trade deal is going well, but that aside-"

"You wish to talk to me about Rikkai, I presume."

"Yes," Fuji confirmed in a cold voice. "I implore you, please do not do anything rash regarding any decisions with Rikkai. With the instability of Rikkai's international relationship with all its surrounding countries, anything we do right now might be considered a provocation to Yukimura Seiichi."

The emperor looked at Fuji, his expression unreadable. Neither party said anything until the emperor suddenly leaned backwards in his chair. The emperor then closed his eyes.

Fuji wondered if his father was avoiding meeting his son's glare.

"By the way," the emperor spoke, "how is Yuta doing?"

 _Of course, he would bring it up,_ Fuji through angrily while gritting his teeth.

"I haven't been in contact with my brother for a long time now," Fuji answered, his hands balling into fists. "But that has nothing to do with the topic."

"I understand. I was simply asking out of concern," the emperor said to his son.

Fuji wondered if his eyes conveyed the amount of distrust he was feeling. While the prince did not despise his own father, he sometimes wondered what he meant to the emperor. They rarely interact with each other; in fact, the emperor barely interacted with any of his family members – his mother, his older sister, his younger brother, and even him.

Fuji pondered if his father cared about his family at all, even if the emperor talked like he did care.

"I suggest that you do not worry about Yuta's safety. After all, it was his choice to study abroad," the emperor continued.

 _Study abroad. What a way to put it._ Fuji scoffed inside his head.

"Ryuzaki had suggested to avoid any actions against Rikkai. What are your opinions, Prince Syusuke?" the emperor questioned.

Taking a few more deep breaths to calm himself, Fuji released his fists. Slowly, he replied, "I believe Ryuzaki-sensei is right, Your Majesty. It is true that an uprising from Yukimura had just occurred in Rikkai, and its foreign policies are unstable at best, provoking at worst. However, it has not yet done anything that warrants action from a country as far away as Seishun. I suggest that we monitor the situation closely, but we cannot do anything further as long as Rikkai does not harm anyone."

The emperor sat quietly, eyes meeting his own son's glance for once. The emperor's expression appeared doubtful in Fuji's eyes, and the prince refrained himself from biting into his lower lip in anger.

"I understand. You are dismissed, Syusuke."

Fuji turned around and left the audience chamber within a blink of an eye. He slowly let out a breath he did not know he was holding as the door to the audience chamber closed slowly. Tezuka, who was waiting outside of the chamber the whole time, approached the prince with concern.

"Fuji, you look pale," Tezuka said.

"Is that right?" Fuji sighed tiredly.

Fuji was touched by Tezuka's worry. Yet somehow, because of the unpleasantness of the conversation just moments before, his mood did not improve. Seeing Tezuka's face in a time like this reminded Fuji of a question he had always wanted to ask, but never had the bravery to.

Uncontrollably, Fuji asked the question.

"Ne, Tezuka," Fuji prompted, "do you sometimes wonder why _you_ are not the crown prince instead?"

Fuji did not know what made him finally snap and ask the question. Maybe it was the pressure of his job, but he had endured similar things before.

Fuji had always admired Tezuka. The captain was like a light post, a pillar of strength for everyone around him. The charisma and dedication to serving the country were things that Fuji never had, as much as Fuji loved Seishun.

Fuji never wanted to dedicate his own life to serving the country. When one compared the level of commitment between the prince and the captain, the differences were glaringly obvious. Tezuka had always devoted his very existence to the country and acted accordingly, each action contributing to the benefit of the people. The captain would patrol in his spare time, donate his spare funds to poor people, and always keep himself up to date on political issues in order to help Fuji, even when it was not his duty to do so.

Fuji, on the other hand, felt as if he was just making easy decisions behind a desk all the time – something that Tezuka could have easily done the same if the captain was the crown prince instead. The prince felt as if he could never reach the same level of dedication. The passion simply was not there.

But Tezuka believed in him. The captain believed that one day, Fuji Syusuke would become the greatest emperor in Seishun history.

"Fuji?" Tezuka asked, snapping Fuji's attention back to reality.

Fuji paused for a few seconds, then said, "I don't feel so well right now. I think I will retire to my room and continue my work tomorrow."

Tezuka seemed to disapprove of the decision, but after seeing Fuji's unease, the captain nodded and agreed to let Fuji go.

The prince all but ran back to his bedroom and slammed the door shut.

After a quick change, Fuji sat on his bed and curled up, hugging his knees close to his chest. The room was cold after being empty for a period, and Fuji's hands were almost equally cold. Fuji rubbed his hands together, but his hands did not grow any warmer. Soon, Fuji gave up trying.

He covered his eyes with his hand as he laid onto his bed, releasing himself from the curled-up position.

The emptiness of the room was usually the most insignificant detail to the prince, but now, Fuji could not help but realize how empty it was. Irritated and upset, the prince grabbed his blanket and was about to roughly wrap himself inside it until something caught his eye.

There, on his bedside table where the sunlight could reach, sat a small pot of cactus.

In the back of his mind, Fuji knew Tezuka would move the cactus from the workroom back to his bedroom due to how distracted the prince was.

The cactus must had been sitting under the sunlight for a while, Fuji thought as his fingers touched the side of the tiny pot. A slight warmth flowed through his fingers.

At that moment, a figure flashed through Fuji's mind — the small figure of a bodyguard holding the prince's hand tightly without letting go.

"Echizen… Ryoma?"

 _Why am I suddenly remembering you now, of all times?_

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 **Author's note: At some point, I was wondering whether I was writing Fuji x Ryoma or Fuji x cactus.**

 **Anyway, next update will probably be in mid-June. If you liked this chapter, please review/follow/favorite! I really love hearing your thoughts about the story!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note: I was suffering through the biggest writer's block I've ever had for this chapter. I had to restart this over and over again and it's still not good enough.**

 **I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! I worked really hard. ;A;**

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Chapter 8

–

 _Why don't you go find him? You know you want to._

Fuji covered his ears with his hands, attempting to block away an imaginary voice within his head while knowing there was nothing he could do. Sitting on his chair by his desk, his elbows pressed onto the table to support the weight of his head.

The prince had shut himself inside his own room unless work was required of him for the past three weeks since the audience with the emperor. He had avoided any interaction with Tezuka, fearing the captain's response to the words he accidentally sputtered back then. However, the person Fuji wanted to talk to had also avoided him – _no, he simply didn't get a shift these three weeks –_ making the prince more stressed than ever.

"Stop," the prince commanded himself in a strained tone.

Unsurprisingly, the voice continued.

 _Why don't you tell him everything? It will make everything so much easier._

The image of Echizen Ryoma flowed inside Fuji's mind once again. Fuji shook his head and dispelled the image, but he could not stop his thoughts from lingering on the subject of his bodyguard.

"You know why," answered the prince. "I can't afford to lose his trust."

 _Maybe he's different._ The voice tempted.

"And maybe he's not."

Fuji stood up abruptly from his chair and walked towards the door. Kikumaru, the bodyguard on duty, was startled by the sudden movement and scrambled to get up and follow immediately.

"Fuji? What's wrong?" Kikumaru asked in concern.

"It's nothing," Fuji replied. "Just going to wash my face."

Fuji wanted to request for Kikumaru to leave him alone, but knowing fully well the red-haired bodyguard would have followed him regardless, Fuji speedily walked towards the bathroom and slammed the door shut as soon as he entered, leaving Kikumaru waiting outside.

Fuji splashed his face with water and looked at himself in a mirror. A pair of tired eyes with bags underneath stared back at him, and Fuji turned away from the mirror, hands covering his eyes. Outside the door where Kikumaru waited, the bodyguard appeared to be talking to someone. Just as soon as Fuji decided that he did not care about what was happening outside, the traitorous voice within his mind returned.

 _Maybe it's Tezuka,_ whispered the voice. _Maybe he's demanding an apology for what you said._

Deep down, Fuji knew it was probably not true. It had been three whole weeks since his audience with the emperor; if Tezuka wanted an apology, he would have demanded one much earlier. Tezuka's personality also suggested that the captain would not forcefully request an apology like this.

But Fuji could not deny the possibility, and that was what made him scared.

Kikumaru's talking stopped after a while, and the sounds of a person walking away followed. The prince stayed in the bathroom for a little bit longer before sighing and opening the door.

Fuji froze at the spot, and so did the person at the door.

The owner of a pair of amber-colored eyes gawked at the prince silently before asking heatedly, "What the hell have you been doing these past weeks? Did you even sleep?"

Fuji quickly regained his posture from the shock of the sudden appearance and greeted, "Hello, Echizen. It's been three weeks already, hasn't it?"

 _So Eiji's shift is over already… I see,_ Fuji assumed.

"Your shifts seem to be very few and far between. Is it just my imagination?" the prince asked, putting on his usual smile.

"Answer my questions first," Ryoma interjected, lifting his chin and staring down at Fuji.

Fuji felt as if he was about to be at the receiving end of a harsh lecture. Clearing his throat and averting his eyes, uncomfortable with Ryoma's stare, the prince replied, "I didn't do much. I was just thinking about a lot of things so I didn't sleep too well."

Ryoma raised an eyebrow in suspicion, and Fuji only smiled in return. When Ryoma figured Fuji was not going to add anything to the conversation, he clicked his tongue in aggravation before motioning for Fuji to follow him.

The bodyguard led Fuji back to his workroom.

Unbeknownst to the prince, he had spent a few hours in the bathroom brooding. The scene of the night sky came as a pleasant surprise. An idea came to Fuji out of the blue, and Fuji lightly tapped Ryoma's shoulder.

Ryoma looked at Fuji quietly.

"Say, would you like to eat dinner with me?" invited Fuji.

"No."

An untimely stomach growl penetrated the air. The corner of Ryoma's lips twitched, and the bodyguard turned around, avoiding Fuji's gaze.

"Ne, maybe you shouldn't be so quick to reject me. What do you say?" Fuji teased. "Your fast objection to eating dinner with me really hurts."

A big frown marred Ryoma's face; in fact, the bodyguard's displeasure was obvious to the point Fuji wondered if he ever offended the young bodyguard. The two stared into each other's eyes for a few seconds, before Ryoma unhappily conceded.

"Fine," Ryoma muttered.

Fuji grinned and ordered his servants to prepare extra dining utensils for Ryoma; ever since the prince began handling some of his father's work, he made a habit of eating inside his workroom. After Ryoma's escort, the two sat down at a round dining table, brought into the workroom by the servants.

Fuji asked, "What would you like to eat?"

Ryoma paused. The prince swore that his bodyguard's eyes narrowed in distrust for some reason.

"Anything that's not made of Inui Juice."

… _What? Oh._

Fuji's grin grew wider.

"What did you hear about me?" Fuji questioned with a smile that would send his friends running in horror.

Ryoma replied calmly, "That you are a total asshole that gains pleasure from other people's misery. Especially from Inui Juice."

Fuji hummed in consideration, then ordered his servants to make the prince's favorite dishes. The food was brought to the table soon after without much waiting. Ryoma cautiously lifted his chopsticks and poked the food with it.

"Don't play with food, Echizen," Fuji lightly scolded.

"Just making sure I won't die from this. It's not like you haven't tried to poison me before."

"I have?" Fuji feigned innocence.

Ryoma rolled his eyes, then picked up a small piece of grilled fish with his chopsticks and put it inside his mouth. He spit it back out almost immediately, huffing and puffing for air, and he quickly reached for the water.

"Oops," Fuji said lightheartedly.

Ryoma could not spare any words before downing the water inside his cup within a couple of seconds.

"So… Spicy," Ryoma gagged. "Why do you look so happy?"

"It's just your imagination," Fuji giggled, before ordering the servants to make some non-spicy dishes for the angered bodyguard. Ryoma's facial expression turned from anger to disbelief as Fuji happily ate the spicy dishes without any problem.

Ryoma decided to ignore the prince's weird tastes for his own food when it arrived.

Dinnertime between the two was silent, but the two exchanged many glances as if they could communicate through their eyes alone. Of course, Fuji could not claim to understand what his bodyguard was thinking accurately, but he somehow managed to find out many things about his bodyguard.

For example, despite being a man of few words, Ryoma was strangely expressive with his face and gestures. Most of the time, Fuji could guess his bodyguard's thoughts without explicitly asking; but then again, Ryoma was not the type to have complicated thoughts lingering within his mind.

Ryoma bit the tip of his chopsticks and stared intensely at the grilled fish sitting in front of him.

 _He's wondering which part he should eat next,_ Fuji concluded. _I guess he's going for the meat in the middle, judging by how much he's looking at it._

Just as Fuji expected, his bodyguard picked out a piece of meat from the mid-body of the fish and put it inside his mouth. Although Ryoma's face remained blank, his eyes were staring dreamily off into space; Fuji recognized that as a happy face.

"Echizen," Fuji began, "I want to go outside again."

Ryoma raised an eyebrow. "Again? Are you sure you're not slacking off?"

Hearing his bodyguard's unsure tone, Fuji quickly backed off in uncertainty. "I… Yeah. Never mind."

Ryoma kept his eyes on Fuji, clearly waiting for a continuation. Yet, the prince became increasingly tongue-tied; he might be an expert on finding things to talk about, but talking about his inner feelings had never been his forte – in fact, he had never talked about it with anyone.

Then, Fuji decided to switch the topic, just like how he always did.

"Do you know when your next shift is? It's so hard to talk to you when you can't come over, you know?" inquired the prince.

Ryoma blinked vacantly and pondered for a few seconds before answering, "I'm not sure. I'll let you know."

And the conversation died there.

Fuji vaguely recalled that when he was alone, he had so many things in his mind he wanted to talk about to Ryoma, but when his bodyguard was finally present in front of him, nothing came to his mind. Time ticked on as the two of them continued their dinner in utter silence. Fuji snuck a few glances at Ryoma, only to find his bodyguard staring back the entire time while eating. Being on the receiving end of Ryoma's bold attention, Fuji was always the first to avert his eyes.

Soon, dinnertime came to an end, and so did Ryoma's shift. The bodyguard stood up from his seat soundlessly as the servants tidied the dishes from the dining table. A momentary glance from Ryoma signaled the prince to follow suit, and the two departed the workroom for the prince's bedroom.

The journey through the corridors felt too short for Fuji's liking; it was as if they walked through the path at the blink of an eye. Reaching the entrance to his room, Fuji hesitantly opened the sliding door, walked inside, then slowly closed it.

Fuji could still see Ryoma's shadow casted onto the thin sliding door by the bright moonlight. Outside the room, Ryoma wordlessly waited for the next bodyguard to take over his shift.

Never once did Fuji stop looking at Ryoma's figure; it was fascinating to the prince himself how distant Ryoma appeared, albeit the two were only separated by a thin door.

A voice sounded from the far side of the corridor, "Hey, Echizen!"

Fuji watched as Ryoma's figure slightly turned. "Momo-senpai."

"Good work tonight! I'm taking over, so you can leave now."

A loud smack was heard; Ryoma's figure almost seemed to jump from the impact of the pat on his back.

Ryoma paused momentarily, then said, "You don't have to take over my shift, Momo-senpai. I'll work overtime."

Momo gasped loudly, and Fuji – who was inside his room, listening closely to the conversation – barely stopped himself from doing the same.

"Whoa, who are you and what have you done to Echizen?" Momoshiro exclaimed while roughly ruffling Ryoma's hair.

Fuji could almost visualize Ryoma's annoyed expression.

"I'm serious, senpai. I'll take over your shift," Ryoma repeated.

"For real? Sweet. Guess I'll sleep in tonight then. I'll do that," Momoshiro sighed while stretching comfortably. "Good night, Echizen! Enjoy your extra shift!"

Ryoma languidly waved goodbye as the taller bodyguard quickly left.

For a short while, it was back to complete silence. Fuji racked his brain for something to say, but he could not come up with anything; Ryoma, on the other hand, looked almost comfortable standing there without uttering a single word, the shadow of his figure standing firmly under the moonlight.

"You know, if you have something to say, you should probably say it now," Ryoma said. "It was kind of annoying watching you struggle to speak when you're usually so talkative."

Fuji wondered how Ryoma could always guess what he was thinking, or rather, what he needed. The prince knew he was not the type to express everything through his face – that was Ryoma's specialty. Kikumaru had always complained that Fuji hid his true feelings too much, making him too elusive and unreachable. Back then, Fuji only smiled at his friend in response; it was simply the prince's nature and it could not be changed no matter how hard he tried.

 _Maybe Ryoma really is different,_ Fuji concluded.

The bodyguard's words gave Fuji a sudden urge to speak.

Slowly, the prince talked.

"Ne, Echizen," whispered Fuji, knowing his voice could reach his bodyguard through those thin doors, "do you sometimes wonder why Tezuka wasn't the crown prince instead of me?"

"What?" Ryoma asked back, surprise clearly present in his tone.

"I do. I have always wondered that," Fuji continued. "A few weeks ago, I said something to Tezuka that I wish I could take back; I asked him this exact question. I wasn't trying to blame him for anything. I just… felt frustrated, I guess."

With the thin sliding door between them, Fuji could not tell what kind of face Ryoma was making as he spoke about his feelings. The only thing he knew for certain was that Ryoma was there, attentively listening. It was a good thing, Fuji decided; the last thing the prince could handle at the moment was receiving a look of contempt from his bodyguard.

"I really, really admired Tezuka. I still do, of course, but our opinions differ so much at times and Tezuka is so successful at everything he does. It makes me feel… unneeded," Fuji sighed.

The short pause in the air made Fuji feel tense.

"Do you not want to be the crown prince?" Ryoma asked.

Fuji bit his lower lip, hesitant to answer.

"Can you… promise not to tell anyone?"

From his shadow, Fuji could tell his bodyguard nodded in response.

"I never wanted to be the crown prince. It has caused me nothing but trouble – both with my friends and my family. I never felt like I deserved the title either," Fuji answered.

 _Especially when Tezuka exists, and he does everything_ so _much better,_ the prince continued inside his mind.

"People in the country have praised me for the laws I've helped to pass and other work I've done, and I appreciate that," the prince continued. "I like helping people and building the country, but… I guess it is a strange thing for a crown prince to have trouble _caring_ about his own country. I don't understand it myself, either, but I can never work up enough motivation to do my job, no matter the importance of the matter."

Fuji covered his eyes with his hand, "I am a terrible person."

Ryoma did not speak for a few seconds, before letting out a small chuckle.

"Strange. Our thought processes sound eerily similar for some reason," Ryoma mused out loud. "Not the part about thinking you are a terrible person, but the part about being a prince."

Before Fuji could ask for his bodyguard to clarify his comment, Ryoma continued, "I think you should take your time to think about not what you _should do_ , but what you _want to do_. People without passion for their job will never be the best they can be, especially in your case.

"You asked me once before… about what I think Echizen Nanjiroh thought when he abdicated. I'd say that he lost the passion to be an emperor. That's why he quit. It's quite similar to what you're thinking right now; he decided to value his family over his country and abdicated the throne to someone he finds more suitable," Ryoma said. "I guess."

Fuji let out a laugh at the last tacked on part.

"You know, from what you've told me just now, I have enough reasons to suspect that you lied to me about not being related to Echizen Nanjiroh," the prince joked. "There are severe punishments for lying to a royal family member, you understand that, right?"

"Oh no, what would I ever do? As if you didn't know that already," Ryoma replied sarcastically. "Should I bribe you?"

"Of course," Fuji said.

"Seriously?"

"Absolutely."

The shadowy figure at the door turned around and crossed his arms.

Ryoma huffed. "Fine. What the hell do you want?"

"I'm asking for your loyalty, Echizen Ryoma. I want you to swear that you will never betray me and side with others when my opinions differ from those around me."

 _From Tezuka, more specifically,_ Fuji added in the back of his mind.

A pause, then Ryoma's head tilted to one side; Fuji could almost see the cocky smile on his face through the shadowy figure at the door.

"I think you're missing a few words there, Your Highness."

"Huh?"

Before Fuji could say anything else, the shadowy figure kneeled with one knee on the floor and right hand over the left side of the chest.

The prince held his breath in shock.

"To Your Highness, I swear my utmost loyalty to you. Never will I betray you and side with anyone besides yourself, for as long as you protect my secret. But to you, Fuji-senpai," Ryoma's head lifted as he spoke, "how about I promise to be your friend instead?"

At those words, Fuji felt his heart racing and his blood burning inside his body. It was a feeling of immense joy, he realized, so much so that it ached.

"Yes," Fuji responded as he trembled in happiness. "Yes. Thank you so much."

Throughout the entire conversation, the prince had feared Ryoma would begin hating him and abandon him. Fuji tried to hold back his tears as his bodyguard had, yet again, defied his expectations.

Words could not explain how happy he was.

"Fuji-senpai, are you crying?"

"Call me Syusuke, Ryoma," Fuji sniffed, "and no, I'm not crying."

* * *

 **Author's note: From strangers to friends. Now I need them to go from friends to lovers. Oh boy.**

 **Btw do you guys want a story of idol!Fuji x tennisSuperStar!Ryoma? I was a little inspired by the tenirabi idol event and I couldn't get it out of my head.**

 **As always, if you enjoyed it, please leave a review/favorite/follow! It might help me get out of my writer's block. QAQ**


	9. Chapter 9: Interlude

**Author's Note: A slightly shorter chapter, but a very important one. Don't skip this just because it's says 'interlude' at the top.**

* * *

Chapter 9: INTERLUDE

–

 _'Well, at least Fuji-senpai is feeling a little better'_ was the thought that was floating about Ryoma's mind when a piece of shocking news was announced the next morning by the captain himself.

The news stunned Ryoma for the rest of the morning assembly as he stood completely still and unresponsive until the assembly was over. His mind did not register Momo-senpai's hand waving in front of his eyes, attempting to seek his attention, nor did his ears detect Kikumaru-senpai's slightly obnoxious yelling.

Ryoma's eyes followed Tezuka's figure as the captain walked back to his office.

Hurriedly, Ryoma ran, following the captain into his office. This action earned him a knowing stare from the captain as he sat down in his chair, silently allowing Ryoma's disrespectful entry into his office.

"Is it really true?" asked Ryoma in a clear panic, slamming his hands on the captain's desk. "Did Rikkai invade Josei Shonan and Midoriyama already?"

Tezuka nodded. "Yes."

The piercing gaze from the captain made Ryoma step back and temporarily avert his eyes, staring instead at the wooden floor.

"You know something," Tezuka prodded.

To that, Ryoma remained silent, unsure of how to reply. Ryoma was especially thankful that his captain was neither nosy nor insensitive when it came to other people's privacy as the topic was quickly dropped there without further explanation.

Instead, Tezuka pursued a different topic.

"What do you think about Rikkai's move?" asked the captain.

Ryoma's unfocused eyes became alarmed. "What do you mean?"

"I'm certain that, given your intellect, His Highness must have had asked for your input on political affairs at some point," Tezuka replied. "As I am his servant, my position requires me to put my country before everything else. You should interpret my question, as well as any future questions both from His Highness and me, as thus."

Ryoma took a few seconds to digest the words. _So basically, he's asking me how I think Rikkai's invasion will affect Seishun as a country?_

The younger bodyguard paused momentarily, before answering confidently, "This is bad."

"Elaborate," Tezuka commanded.

"Even if Rikkai's motivation is still unclear, the country's aggression can not be any more obvious by this point. Josei Shonan and Midoriyama are two very small countries, but they are not weak. Rikkai may need to pass through Hyotei in order to reach Seishun, but the fact remains that Seishun needs to be prepared for the worst."

Tezuka sighed in a troubled manner.

"I agree. But I doubt His Majesty will do anything," replied the captain.

Ryoma's brows furrow as a flurry of mixed feelings slammed into him – confusion, anger, frustration, and worriedness. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, calming himself a little. When he reopened his eyes, he noticed that Tezuka was staring at him, concerned by his reaction.

"I'm fine," Ryoma breathed.

Tezuka leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed and exhaled loudly.

"His Highness had a talk with His Majesty only a few weeks ago. He convinced his father to halt any moves against Rikkai. His Majesty's decisions are heavily influenced by the prince, not to mention Seishun's pacifist history… It is unlikely that His Majesty will stand against Rikkai for the time being," the captain explained.

Tezuka's gaze shifted towards his hands, and Ryoma found his hands unknowingly balled into fists, his knuckles turning pale from his strength. Ryoma relaxed his fingers, and a dull pain ached from the fingernail marks in his palms.

The younger bodyguard took another deep breath.

"It is time for work," Ryoma announced in a shaking voice.

Turning around quickly, Ryoma sped towards the exit. He heard the sound of Tezuka standing up from his chair, but the bodyguard could not care any less.

"Stop," Tezuka ordered.

Ryoma's hand on the door froze.

"You're not in the condition for work," said the captain.

The bodyguard's eyes remained on the door.

"I will excuse you from work for the rest of the day, Echizen. You must stay here, gather up your thoughts, and calm down before you will be allowed to leave."

Upon hearing that, Ryoma's grip on the door tightened for a slight moment before he tore his hand away. Still refusing to look at Tezuka, the younger bodyguard sat down forcefully on the floor at the corner of the room. He hugged his knees, and his cheeks puffed up just a little bit. Tezuka's gaze softened slightly at the sight of that, and he walked towards Ryoma.

Ryoma felt an unexpected warmth above his head. When he looked up, he found the captain's hand patting his head.

The captain's hand was big and more callused, compared to his own.

"Do you do this to Fuji-senpai too?" Ryoma asked as an offhanded remark.

The warm hand above Ryoma's head froze.

"I used to," answered the captain, his facial expression unchanged. "I haven't done it for a long time."

"Why is that?"

"Fuji got better at handling his own feelings as he grew up. He adapted to his role as the crown prince. You, however," Tezuka let out one of his rare smiles, "the circumstances around you are quite different."

 _Oh, so he actually can emote,_ thought Ryoma. _Hey, wait a minute! What did he just say? Is he treating me like a kid?_

Big, round eyes glared at Tezuka as the young bodyguard processed what Tezuka said once more. A thought struck Ryoma as a certain part of the statement irked him more than being treated like a child.

Tezuka believed that Fuji got better at handling his own feelings and his role as the prince.

Ryoma still remembered how Fuji-senpai was when he talked to his bodyguard that night – his confession to the fact that he disliked being the crown prince, his silent search for comfort, and his crying…

 _Something's not right here._

"Do you… really believe that?" Ryoma asked.

"I am confident in what I say," replied the captain. "I believe in Fuji."

Ryoma was about to ask another question, but then pursed his lips shut.

He had no right to comment on the nature of their friendship, Ryoma felt. Tezuka and Fuji had known each other for much longer than he knew either one of them, and he was not even as close to Fuji as people like Kikumaru-senpai or Kawamura-senpai.

Fuji's crying voice as he thanked Ryoma echoed within the young bodyguard's head.

Ryoma shook his head; there was a misunderstanding between the captain and the prince, but he could not say anything about it. Or rather, he shouldn't. They could figure it out themselves; they were close friends, after all.

"Echizen," Tezuka's voice interrupted Ryoma's thoughts.

Ryoma met the captain's eyes.

"Who is Echizen Nanjiroh to you?"

Ryoma's heart froze and sank.

The captain continued, "The Samurai Emperor – Echizen Nanjiroh. The most successful emperor in the history of Seishun. He abdicated his throne at the height of his reign and, as a result, the country plummeted. It was only in the recent few years that the current emperor restored some balance and order amongst the people. I'm sure you know all about him – about how _dangerous_ he is."

Cautiously, Ryoma questioned, "Are you implying that he is a criminal in your eyes?"

"No, that has no bearing in the matter; he is a part of the royal family, and will always be treated as such, since he was never convicted of any crimes. However," Tezuka removed his hand from Ryoma's head, "I'm sure you already know what I want to say."

Ryoma's face darkened as he understood what his captain meant without even thinking.

Echizen Nanjiroh might have been a successful emperor, but his leave made him divisive within the country. Half the people loved him, and the other half hated him. The half that hated him contained people that despised him enough to attempt a failed murder, leading Nanjiroh to flee the country.

The last name "Echizen" was an uncommon one, and just hearing it once triggered mixed reactions from the people, the last time his name was mentioned in public. If the public found out that a relative of the previous emperor is now working for the crown prince…

The prince might be put in danger, simply because Ryoma was by his side.

Therefore, he could do nothing but lie.

"Echizen Nanjiroh means nothing to me," he told the captain.

"Do you know the consequences of betraying the throne?" the captain pushed further.

"What are you trying to say?" _Or rather, what do you want me to say?_ Ryoma asked the latter half on the question inside his head.

"Lying to the royal family is an offense punishable by death," Tezuka explained. "I don't want you to suffer for what is not your fault."

Eyes wide in shock, Ryoma noticed nothing but sincerity in Tezuka's expression. Ryoma sighed in defeat.

If there was one thing he could promise Tezuka to make him feel better…

"I swore to Fuji-senpai," Ryoma said. "I swore my loyalty to him. I will never betray him."

Ryoma was not sure whether that worked. Nothing visible changed in Tezuka's expression, but the captain did not pursue the topic any further and retreated to his chair.

A dead silence hung between the two.

The talk about his father reminded Ryoma of why he came to Seishun in the first place as well as why he chose to work for Tezuka – and by extension, Fuji – even knowing the risks. He truly trusted Tezuka, he realized. The captain's strength and charisma made it difficult not to do so; even without explicitly saying it, Ryoma could feel the care the captain had for him.

 _Unlike…_

Ryoma pinched himself for his straying mind.

"What would you have done," asked Tezuka suddenly, "if you were the one in charge of the country?"

Ryoma snapped to attention and answered, "Right now? Nothing directly to Rikkai. There's nothing we can do, but maybe I would try to strike an alliance. Especially with Hyotei. There's no way Atobe Keigo would do nothing about this, judging by his personality."

 _Not to mention Hyotei is located right between Rikkai and Seishun, so Hyotei is in a much more precarious position than we are,_ Ryoma added in the back of his mind. _If Rikkai wants to get to Seishun, they need to go through Hyotei first._

Ryoma remembered that he had not visited the Monkey King in a long time. He shrugged it off though – Atobe was most likely at the end of his wits with the Rikkai situation and he was the cause of it all, so the Monkey King probably did not want to see his face anyway.

Tezuka raised an eyebrow. "Judging by the way you speak, do you know Atobe personally?"

"Nope," lied Ryoma. "He's famous for being narcissistic and many other things."

The younger bodyguard found it hilarious that the captain silently accepted that answer.

"Your answer is very sound," Tezuka commented. "You would have been a very good pillar to Seishun, if you were the crown prince."

Ryoma's eyes narrowed. _Was he comparing me to Fuji-senpai? Or… my old man?_

The young bodyguard was getting tired of talking to his captain already, and it had only been around twenty minutes at most.

"But I'm not the crown prince," Ryoma retorted quickly, "so it would be best for you to not think about the what-ifs."

"You're right."

"By the way, can I leave now?"

* * *

 **Author's Note: Whew, Ryoma's POV is hard to write as always. The fact that he's hiding spoilery stuff doesn't make it any easier to write.**

 **Please leave a review/favorite/follow if you like it. All my motivation comes from the readers' support, and I get really bummed otherwise. QAQ**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: Yay 10th chapter anniversary! (Is it even an anniversary?)**

 **I want to thank everyone who has left a review on this story so far:**

Ryoma'sBiased, riethu, LVPpgzHM, CieloXX, littlepanther, SternenDisaster, Frozen teen, Misslabelled, ZombifiedWulf, Aikawa Kusagi, Ry, A passerby, and 3 anonymous Guests.

 **Your reviews really motivated me to keep going. Thank you so much! (I would have listed the favorites/follows too, though I think I need to respect people's privacy on that. But know that I really appreciate the favorites/follows too!)**

 **Anyway, here's the chapter that is long overdue. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 10

–

There was an atmosphere of unrest within the palace walls, and Fuji was not certain of the reason behind it. The disturbance had continued for a few days, whispers following him wherever he walked unless he was with Tezuka, whose cold gaze effectively silenced all chatter in the vicinity. The prince attempted to recreate similar results by hanging out with Ryoma, but the young bodyguard never noticed the annoying chatter around him in the first place. Fuji found this quite baffling.

(Although the chatter did grow too loud once. Ryoma, sensing Fuji's discomfort after it grew obvious, stomped in front of the loud servants and told them to "shut the hell up". The prince was very amused by the frowns and cries Ryoma generated.)

Fuji sighed while being deep in thought. He had always disliked this type of atmosphere, which had a tendency to turn into rumors after a period of time. If he knew the topic around the chatter and the topic did not affect him personally, then he would not mind as much. Usually, Kikumaru would be here to fill the prince in on the details, because unlike most people, he would tell the prince what was going on instead of lying in his face to keep up the formality.

For some reason, Fuji could not find his peppy red-haired bodyguard anywhere for the past days, and it was driving the prince insane. Fuji decided to try to avoid the crowds the best he could until he could find Kikumaru.

A set of footsteps approaching his workroom snapped the prince out of his thoughts. The footsteps stopped in front of his door, and the person in front of it appeared to hesitate for a moment before speaking.

"Um, excuse me, Your Highness? Are you here?"

Fuji immediately recognized that voice to be Ryuzaki Sakuno's, one of the personal cleaning staff for the royal family.

"You can come in, Ryuzaki," the prince responded.

"Oh, Tomo-chan, I mean, Osakada-san is also here to help clean the room. Is that fine with you?" asked the girl timidly.

"Yes, both of you can come in."

The sliding door opened slowly, revealing two girls in aprons. Both bowed politely, before Osakada Tomoko boldly stepped inside the room, and Sakuno quickly followed.

It was a routine for the castle cleaning staff to clean the castle from top to bottom once every month. Every cleaning day of the month, Fuji would personally meet the maids that tidied his room. Of all the cleaning staff aside from Sakuno (who was personally assigned to Fuji alone), the prince usually ended up seeing Tomoko the most, since she was Sakuno's best friend.

"Good morning, Fuji-senpai!" greeted Tomoko cheerfully.

Sakuno panicked slightly at the informality, but Fuji himself preferred this over the stiff titles. He was not quite sure why Tomoko called him "senpai", however.

"Good morning, Osakada," the prince replied with a smile.

"Um, the cleaning is going to take around half an hour, Fuji-s-s-senpai, if you don't mind," stuttered Sakuno.

Fuji tilted his head slightly in confusion at what Sakuno called him. The motion seemed to have scared the already panicking maid even more. Fuji chuckled slightly and patted her head, silently telling her to calm down, then stepped out of his room for the maids to work.

Outside, the bodyguard on duty was Kaidoh. Fuji pondered if the bodyguard's scary face was one of the reasons why Sakuno was so on edge.

Kaidoh nodded to Fuji before greeting, "Good morning, Fuji-senpai."

The prince returned the salutation and closed the door to his room. Instantly, Tomoka's hushed voice was heard as she talked to her friend. Sakuno's voice was a lot quieter, but Fuji could hear her voice clearly.

"W-wait, Tomo-chan, I don't think we should-"

"It's okay, we're not exactly talking crap behind people's backs anyway! If you don't want to say anything then just listen to me!"

Fuji chuckled at the words, while Kaidoh became mildly irritated. The bodyguard hissed while pulling down his bandana slightly, signaling his disapproval at the girls even though they could not see him.

"Did you hear about the stuff with Rikkai? It's so scary!"

"I'm still not sure if we should talk about it, but I'm scared too."

"Right? I can't believe they already invaded both Midoriyama and Josei Shonan. It's only been, what, a month?"

Outside the room, Fuji's eyes widened in shock as he processed what he just heard. He could feel the smile on his face slowly morphing into a frown before his legs moved automatically, turning his body and proceeded to speed towards the direction of his father's audience chamber. His arm was pulled, stopping his momentum. Fuji turned his head to find out what was stopping him.

It was Kaidoh who gripped his arm.

"Fuji-senpai, please calm down."

Kaidoh's words had the opposite effect. Fuji's breathing became harsher, and his arms trembled. He glared at Kaidoh's hand, then at the bodyguard himself.

"Calm down?" Fuji gritted his teeth.

Kaidoh avoided Fuji's eyes and stared at the floor.

"How long ago was this, Kaidoh? Why was I not informed?" Fuji asked loudly in a shaking voice. "You and everyone else should know that if Midoriyama falls, St. Rudolph is in immediate danger! I'll ask again, why did no one care to inform me?"

Kaidoh struggled to think of an answer before responding with, "It was an order."

"From whom?"

A dead silence was all Fuji received as an answer. The prince tore his arm away from Kaidoh's grip, and the bodyguard did not attempt to stop him any longer. Kaidoh's lack of determination to follow through with his given orders only served to make the matter more painful to deal with for Fuji.

He did not wish to make enemies with his own bodyguards. After all, Fuji saw them as his close friends.

But…

"If anything happens to Yuta, there will be consequences," Fuji enunciated each syllable clearly and slowly before turning away from the bodyguard and running away into his backyard.

He did not bother to check whether Kaidoh followed him.

The fact that he did not hear a set of footsteps following his own pained him. A feeling of abandonment grew larger and larger, and Fuji struggled to breathe as his emotions began to overwhelm him. He stopped on his tracks to catch his breath, and for a second, he turned his head to check his backside.

No one was there.

The summer wind felt chilled to Fuji as he stood still in the shade of a nearby tree, staring at the direction he came from. Then, he turned once again, did not look back, and started walking.

The prince forced himself to think. Kaidoh mentioned that it was an order; the only people who would have the authority to do this to the crown prince were the emperor, Tezuka, Royal Advisor Ryuzaki, and Princess Yumiko. Fuji immediately crossed out Yumiko from the list, since there was no way his sister would do something like this. Ryuzaki-sensei was out of the question as well; she had rarely ever disagreed with Fuji.

Fuji bit his lips as he ran down the list inside his mind.

He wanted to believe Tezuka would not do something like this. From Kaidoh's reactions, it seemed though he was somewhat unwilling to follow the orders. Fuji wanted to believe that maybe the bodyguard's reactions meant that Tezuka was not the one who ordered it.

Which left only one person Fuji needed to confront. But his team of bodyguards was clearly not on his side this time, if they were ordered to keep him out of this matter. If that was indeed the case, Fuji needed to evade his bodyguards on his way to the audience chamber to avoid being stopped.

Fuji racked his brain to try to remember his bodyguards' schedules.

 _They are spread out all around the castle. I probably won't be able to avoid them all unless I circle around the castle parameter,_ Fuji thought.

The prince's heart pounded harshly, and yet he felt as if blood was not flowing within his body as he sprinted towards the hidden backdoor of the castle. The corridor through the door still looked as dim as it did the last time he used it, even during midday.

Fuji stepped inside, wondering why it felt so much less comforting than before. But with his thoughts being a mess, he could not remember when he last came here. _At least the corridors are easy to get through once you know the way,_ Fuji supposed.

The light at the end of the tunnel pierced Fuji's vision temporarily. As he blinked to get his sight adjusted, a voice startled him.

"Fuji-senpai?"

He recognized that voice.

His eyes darted towards the direction of the voice.

"Echizen?" Fuji called out.

The figure of his young bodyguard became clearer as his eyes focused and Ryoma approached him. Cold sweat dripped on Fuji's face as he realized that he had run into someone he did not want to see.

"What are you doing here?" Fuji asked in an attempt to divert Ryoma's attention.

"Uh," Ryoma's eyes widened. "Patrol."

A sense of frustration began building up inside Fuji.

"Let me ask you again, Echizen," Fuji talked slowly. "What were you doing?"

Ryoma jumped a little bit. "I was… trying to take a nap in the shade."

 _Oh._ Fuji let out a breath.

"Fuji-senpai, what's wrong?" Ryoma asked, voice laced with concern.

Fuji breathed, "Nothing is wr-"

"Lies," Ryoma interjected. "You're breathing heavily, and," he paused, "I thought you were going to call me by my name. Senpai, if you need help, you need to talk to someone, otherwise no one will know how to help you."

For a moment, Fuji felt his heart stopping before slowly returning normal. His erratic breathing was calming down, and a thought surfaced within his mind: _that's right. Ryoma is different. He isn't just my bodyguard; he's my friend._

"Ryoma," Fuji said. "I need to talk to my father, but everyone looked like they wanted to stop me. It's… really important. I can't bear to lose my little brother because of this. Can you-"

Before the prince could finish his sentence, the young bodyguard had taken Fuji's hand and started running. The prince hurriedly followed as he was being pulled along.

"R-Ryoma?"

"I'll help you. None of your other bodyguards should be at the main gate, only the regular castle guards. It's probably the safest route to the audience chamber."

Ryoma's hand felt warm against Fuji's. The prince was especially thankful that Ryoma did not once hesitate to keep holding onto his hand, even when it was drenched in a nervous sweat. From behind, Ryoma's back looked a lot taller than it actually was. Fuji speculated if it was the summer sun casting illusions in his eyes.

The trip to the main gate felt exceedingly short. Fuji panted and gasped for air due to his lack of exercise for an extended period of time, and Ryoma stood still after entering the gate, waiting for the prince to catch his breath.

Ryoma did not let go of Fuji's hand.

"We can take it slowly, Fuji-senpai," Ryoma said. "Maybe you can tell me what's bothering you on our way there."

Fuji reached out with his free hand, and Ryoma caught it with his own. Both of the prince's arms were shaking – a side effect from the combination of tiredness and apprehension.

If there was anything Fuji would like to avoid for the rest of his life, talking to his father would probably be the first thing that came to his mind.

"Ryoma," Fuji spoke.

But he could not continue. The prince did not know what to say, or rather, what he _could_ say. Ryoma was part of his team of bodyguards; he might be under the same command from his father or Tezuka, just like Kaidoh was. The prince knew he should not trust his young bodyguard if he wanted to be safe.

A small voice inside Fuji screamed at him to believe in his friend. _To believe that Ryoma was different from the others._

"Can I really trust you?" Fuji whispered.

"Haven't we been over this?" Ryoma asked back. "Of course, you can. I promised I will always be on your side, didn't I?"

 _Yes, you did._

Fuji took a deep breath.

"I think my father is purposely trying to keep information about my brother away from me. My brother… younger brother, Yuta, lives in St. Rudolph due to some… circumstances," Fuji found it difficult to continue, but he pushed on. "With Midoriyama fallen, the neighboring country St. Rudolph is in so much danger, and yet no one told me anything! My father usually consults me with matters such as these, but for some reason…"

Fuji sighed in frustration; his hands gripped Ryoma's tightly.

"I think I have to confront my father," the prince continued. "I hate it. I don't want to, but I have to. Will you… stand next to me during the talk? You don't have to do anything. Just be there with me."

The prince's eyes, previously staring at the ground, looked up to meet Ryoma's. His bodyguard's frown and worried eyes made Fuji's heart sink, before the prince released his hands from Ryoma and attempted to leave.

Ryoma's hands never let go.

"Don't run away," Ryoma's expression changed from worried to determined in a split second. "I haven't even said anything yet. But you should know my answer even if I don't say anything, Fuji-senpai."

Ryoma pulled Fuji closer so that the prince cannot avoid being face-to-face with his bodyguard.

"I'll always be there, as long as you call for me. That was part of what I promised you, because I'm your friend."

Fuji could feel his heart beating fast. Ryoma's face was close to his own, and the bodyguard's eyes appeared to sparkle under the daylight, leaving Fuji unable to turn his eyes away. The prince felt his blood begin to flow normally once more, and his face heating up just slightly.

A growing chatter snapped Fuji out of his trance, and Ryoma took notice of the commotion then looked away briefly to check out what was going on.

A large crowd of servants gathered at the main gate, looking at something moving towards it. A figure wearing foreign clothing seemed to be approaching the main gate from afar. Ryoma stepped in front of the prince swiftly and drew his sword.

As the figure walked closer, the prince could finally recognize the person's face.

"Y-Yuta?" Fuji stuttered.

The surrounding servants bowed to the younger Fuji brother as he entered the palace. Yuta's face scrunched up in distaste as soon as he saw his older brother, as if the older Fuji had been waiting there the whole time. Yuta clicked his tongue.

"Yuta, I-" said the older prince before he was cut off.

"Save it," Yuta spat. "I'm going to talk to dad."

The younger prince took a few steps before stopping, glaring at Ryoma.

"What are you looking at?" Yuta questioned.

Ryoma paused, before answering, "You're not quite what I expected."

That statement earned the bodyguard an intense glare, before Yuta stomped off towards the audience chamber in favor of ignoring both his older brother and the bodyguard.

The older prince had expected this cold attitude from his brother after all that happened, and yet, his arms trembled after hearing the words which echoed in his mind many, many times. His emotions were rampaging within him, and he was growing weary and sick of everything that happened. He had half the mind to just walk back to his room and shut the door from everyone.

Slowly, he felt one of his hands being lifted.

"Let me borrow your hand," Ryoma said.

Ryoma guided Fuji's hand to his cheek and gently pressed. The immediate warmth from Ryoma's cheek ran through Fuji's fingers. The prince tried not to become flustered at the sight, but he could already feel his face heating up at the intimate gesture.

"Wha-"

"It's hot today," explained Ryoma. "And your hand is cold. So, I'm stealing your coldness."

Fuji was glad that Ryoma closed his eyes, because the prince was not quite certain what type of face he was making. Probably not one he would want his bodyguard to see.

At least he could feel his body temperature rising back up to normal.

The prince struggled to find appropriate words for Ryoma. After a long, awkward silence, Fuji spoke slowly.

"Ne, Ryoma."

"Hm?"

"I think you haven't been following my orders completely."

Ryoma blinked at Fuji, eyes alert.

Fuji's smile finally returned to his face.

"I told you to call me 'Syusuke'."

* * *

 **Author's Note: I, uhhhh, still need to proofread this lol. I had a lot of trouble getting through this chapter, so I ended up not being able to post this in August. I'll try my best to get the next chapter done by the end of this month though!**

 **Again, if you liked it or have comments/criticisms, please leave a review/favorite/follow! Have a nice day!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's note: This chapter was a little rushed because I wanted to get this in before the end of the month, as I probably will be busy for quite a while in the future. Hope you guys don't mind.**

 **Edit (9/25/2018): Fixed some minor grammatical errors.**

* * *

Chapter 11

–

Yuta avoided his older brother for days.

It was not a surprise to Syusuke, considering their strained relationship. He would have hoped for a nice talk between them, but it would not be possible if Yuta continued avoiding him. Syusuke thought about taking the initiative to find his brother, but then decided against it since it might make their relationship even more strained.

Syusuke had never felt more regret about not seeking out his brother earlier after he heard Yuta went missing, only a few days after he arrived at the Seishun palace.

An emergency notice was sent out by the servant tasked to serve him while he was inside the palace, and Syusuke almost broke down as soon as he heard the news.

His arms were still shaking.

"Fuji, calm down."

Syusuke blinked to find Tezuka standing in front of him. He was so absorbed in his own thoughts he forgot that he was attempting to seek help from the captain.

Syusuke took a deep breath.

"Tezuka," he breathed, "I need to find Yuta."

"I know."

"But I have no idea where he could be. I checked everywhere he used to hide. The bushes, his closet, the kitchen, everywhere! I don't know what else I can do!"

"He is most likely still within the palace. No guards reported his departure from the gates."

"But what if he didn't leave through the gates? What if he was kidnapped? What will I even do if-"

"Calm down. We will find him," Tezuka reassured. "I have sent everyone out to search already. You should be hearing back from us soon."

Syusuke was about to open his mouth for more objections, but then stopped himself before he did. Instead, he bowed to Tezuka and left his office.

There was only one thing running through Syusuke's mind at that point: _Why did Tezuka not participate in the search himself?_

The prince knew it was a selfish request for the captain of all people to handle things like this. But Yuta was a precious family member, and as a friend, Syusuke wanted Tezuka to deal with the matter a little more personally.

Maybe he was asking for a little too much.

Forcing himself to stop trembling, Syusuke wondered if Yuta truly hated him so much he had to leave silently without a single word. Then all of a sudden, another possibility came to his mind – Yuta had talked to his father. Perhaps…

Syusuke sprinted to the audience chamber without a second thought. There were not many guards on duty, as most of them were sent to look for the younger prince. Syusuke had no trouble getting through the security and opened the door to the audience chamber forcefully.

There his father sat quietly, and next to him stood a clearly frustrated Ryuzaki Sumire.

"Good day, Your Majesty," Syusuke greeted coldly. "The same to you, Ryuzaki-sensei."

"If you are here to inquire about Yuta, you can leave now," said the emperor before Syusuke could say anything else. "I do not know where he went. I have already sent all of my available subordinates to search for him."

"What did you talk to him about on the day he returned?" Syusuke barely stopped himself from scowling.

"On the day he returned? Ah," Syusuke's father paused to think for a moment. "I was the one who requested his return, you see. He was simply reporting back to me. Nothing more, nothing less," the emperor dismissed with an airy wave of his hand.

"Really?"

Syusuke refused to believe those words. The father that had always treated Yuta unfairly would suddenly care enough to pay attention to what was happening with St. Rudolph and call him back in time?

Impossible.

"Of course, he is my son," a smile appeared on the emperor's face as he spoke. "But most importantly, I was following the advice of my advisor."

Ryuzaki grimaced at those words. Syusuke noticed her expression and wanted to question her about it, but she left frustratedly without saying a word.

Syusuke opened his eyes to demonstrate his seriousness.

"By advisor, do you mean Ryuzaki-sensei?"

For some reason, the question wiped the smile away from the emperor's face for a few seconds.

"You are so sharp, Syusuke. This is why I picked you as the future emperor," the emperor nodded to himself. "No, I have a new advisor. He's still on probation, though. I shall introduce you to him when everything is ready."

 _Something's not right here._

The emperor stood from his chair and glared at his son. "Leave now. I have nothing more to say to you."

The emperor's guards grabbed the prince's arms on both sides and forced him towards the door. Syusuke struggled and yelled at his father to talk more, but the request fell on deaf ears as the door of the audience chamber shut loudly in his face.

Syusuke stood in front of the door, stunned and unable to move. The guards unhanded him and forced themselves between the door and Syusuke, preventing reentry.

The fact that a new advisor was apparently assisting his father completely slipped Syusuke's mind as soon as he remembered Yuta was still missing, and even his father did not know where he was. The prince kneeled onto the floor, covering his face with his hands, and resisted the urge to tear up.

 _Where else could he be? Where else could I look?_

The lack of answers in his mind filled Syusuke with hopelessness.

A quiet voice rang in his ears.

"F-Fuji-senpai? I mean, Your Highness," Ryuzaki Sakuno corrected herself as she shook Syusuke by his shoulders. "A-Are you all right?"

Syusuke stayed silent.

"Um, I'm sorry I couldn't be more of help to you," she stammered in nervousness. "But I-I think around two days ago? Or was it yesterday? I saw Prince Yuta sparring with Ryoma-kun privately, so-"

 _Ryoma?_

"You mean Echizen Ryoma?" Syusuke asked in surprise.

He wanted to slap himself for not realizing sooner. How could he forget about the terrible tension between Ryoma and his brother when they first met?

Without hearing the rest of what Ryuzaki had to say, Syusuke rushed to look for Ryoma and left the stuttering girl behind. He eventually returned to Tezuka's office to ask him whether he knew Ryoma's location, only to be reminded that Ryoma was also part of the search team, which meant that Syusuke's youngest bodyguard likely had no idea where Yuta was.

Another dead end.

Syusuke frowned. He was not about to give up anytime soon.

At that moment, a sudden sense of fatigue overwhelmed him. His legs brought him in random directions as he opened every door to every room he had access to.

He ran into Momoshiro, but he was in no mood to greet the taller bodyguard politely, so the prince walked off without saying anything. Unsurprisingly, Momo followed right behind Syusuke so he could search for Yuta while protecting the prince.

"Uh, Fuji-senpai? Why are we heading towards the bodyguards' personal bedrooms?" Momo asked in concern.

"I don't know. I haven't looked there yet," Fuji answered dejectedly.

"Oh."

Syusuke proceeded to slam open each door, causing a loud, disruptive _bang_ as he passed by each room. Each time, Momoshiro squinted and jumped a little.

"Fuji-senpai, you don't have to open every door so…"

 _Slam._

"Never mind," Momo squeaked.

 _Slam._

Inui's creations spilled onto the floor as a result of the impact.

"Um, I'll clean that up afterwards, Fuji-senpai. Don't worry about it."

 _Slam._

Syusuke's eyes widened at the person he saw in one of the rooms.

Fuji Yuta stared straight back at his brother, his jaw dropping open at the sight of the piercing blue eyes. An uncomfortable silence passed, before Syusuke gave an order to his bodyguard.

"Go tell Tezuka that I found him," Syusuke said to Momoshiro, "and you don't need to come back for me."

"Got it," the tall bodyguard replied quickly before silently leaving the two princes behind in the room.

Syusuke shut the door behind him softly. Yuta shuffled in the room uneasily as Syusuke approached his younger brother and stared.

"Why are you here?" asked the older prince. "Whose room is this? Why did you not stay with your servant? Do you know how worried I was?"

Yuta looked confused by the questions. "Wait, how long have you been looking for me?"

Syusuke frowned. "Your servant said you were missing since yesterday afternoon."

A small 'oops' was heard from Yuta as he struggled to reply. Syusuke stepped forward to question his brother further before the door behind him suddenly opened, revealing an Echizen Ryoma with large bags under his eyes.

The bodyguard blinked twice and rubbed his eyes before squinting.

"Hi, Echizen," Yuta greeted casually before either Syusuke or Ryoma could react.

"You," Ryoma hissed in frustration, "have a lot of explaining to do." Ryoma stepped in front of Yuta, separating the two brothers, "I sparred with you in my spare time before going to my long, night shift and then I have to _look for your ass all morning because you went missing in my room?_ What the hell is happening here?"

"I was going to ask you for some advice after the spar, but then you didn't come back so I figured I'd wait for you. I think I fell asleep after that…" Yuta's voice slowly diminished as the sentence went on.

"Un- _fucking-_ believable," Ryoma growled.

"Language, Ryoma," Syusuke chided casually, a tired smile returning to his face. "I think I get the gist of what's going on now. Can you leave us alone for a bit? Yuta and I need to-"

"No, wait! Stay!" interjected Yuta. "Please stay. I need to talk to Aniki but I want you to be here."

Both Syusuke and Ryoma were confused by this.

"Why?" asked the bodyguard.

"Please don't ask. It's embarrassing," Yuta stared at the floor. "It's like, some sort of confidence boost, I guess."

Ryoma sighed loudly before tiredly grabbing a chair and sat down grumpily.

A silence filled the room as no one spoke up.

"Yuta…" said Syusuke.

"No, wait, Aniki, let me go first," Yuta scratched his head, avoiding direct eye-contact. "I have a lot of say to you, I just don't know where to start."

Yuta took a few seconds to breathe, then began talking.

"I want to apologize to you. I guess that was what I wanted to ask Echizen about. I wanted some advice, especially because our relationship hasn't been the greatest. I-I know it's kind of my fault, so-"

Syusuke hugged his younger brother, biting his lips to avoid tearing up. This was the most Yuta had ever talked to him ever since Yuta was told that Syusuke was the crown prince, back when the both of them were still children.

"No, it's my fault," Syusuke said. "I should have been more careful-"

"You shouldn't have to do that," Yuta interrupted. "Don't do that. I'm your family and you should feel comfortable around me. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize that you need help too."

Syusuke could feel Yuta's arms returning the hug.

"I didn't want to come home," Yuta continued. "It was stressful knowing that my older brother was here, and you could do everything better than I ever could. I know my father hasn't been treating me well because of your success, and I hated you more because of it."

Syusuke could barely stop himself from apologizing again. He knew his brother did not want his apology, but after all these years, it was hard for him to stop blaming himself. The hug from his brother tightened, and Syusuke knew Yuta was also having a hard time processing his thoughts.

"Take your time," Syusuke whispered.

"I was so frustrated with the thought of being compared to you again, that I acted horribly to you when I first came home. I'm so sorry."

Syusuke patted Yuta's head.

"I understand," Syusuke replied.

"When I first saw Echizen with you, I hated him for it. I was… a little jealous of him, I suppose," Yuta turned his head sheepishly. "It looked like he was close to you… closer to you than your own brother was. So I challenged him to a spar out of anger, and wow, he's good at fighting. But you know what he told me? He told me to stop being tied down by you. He told me to better myself, so that I could fight alongside you and not against you. And I think he was right."

Syusuke finally could not resist his tears from falling. Yuta's shoulder became wet from his brother's tears. Yuta pulled away from the hug and wiped the tears from his brother's face.

"I almost thought that you hated me so much you decided to leave me again without saying another word," Syusuke sniffed. "Thank you for coming back."

The two hugged again for a few seconds before separating.

Yuta happily chirped, "Wow, I feel so much better now that this is resolved. Don't you agree, Echizen?"

A snore answered his question as the two princes looked over their shoulders to find a sleeping Ryoma, nodding off as he sat in his chair. Syusuke stifled a giggle and walked over to his bodyguard, lifting him up with a princess hold, and gently set the boy in his own bed and covering him up with blankets.

Syusuke motioned for Yuta to be quiet before they exited the room together soundlessly.

–

"Aniki, speaking of the last name 'Echizen', isn't that…?"

"I don't care about his origins. As long as he is beside me, he is my bodyguard."

"… Be careful of him. I know he is a good person, but…"

"I will."

–

The next morning, Syusuke made sure to greet Ryoma personally with a thank-you hug when they passed by each other in the hallway. The prince found it both cute and amusing that Ryoma's face almost became as red as an apple before leaving to eat breakfast with Yuta without saying another word.

* * *

 **Author's note: We're almost at a turning point of the story, so the pace of the story should pick up from here.**

 **Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Make sure to leave a review/favorite/follow if you liked it! :D**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's note: Slightly shorter chapter because I'm too busy. Also I don't know why, but this chapter did not go the way I planned for it to go. I guess I'm just not good at writing stories on the fly.**

* * *

Chapter 12

–

Syusuke had expected his friend from Shitenhoji to arrive in Seishun at some point. He simply had not expected him to arrive so soon.

Several carriages passed through the main gate of the Seishun castle. Syusuke watched with keen eyes as a silver-haired figure alighted his carriage, surveyed his surroundings, before approaching the Seishun prince with a bright smile.

"Fuji, long time no see!"

"It's been a while, Shiraishi," Syusuke replied.

Shiraishi Kuranosuke patted Syusuke's back in a friendly manner, and Syusuke could feel a decrease in his tenseness just by being within the Shitenhoji emperor's vicinity. In a sense, the Seishun prince was glad that Shiraishi was such an easygoing person.

"Hey, Tezuka! I haven't seen you in a long time either! How've you been?" Shiraishi asked as he eyed the person behind Syusuke.

Tezuka, who stood behind the prince quietly the whole time, bowed to Shiraishi. "It's been a long time, Your Majesty."

"Drop the honorifics, will you? This is a reunion between friends. Relax," Shiraishi said with a wave of his hand.

The captain of the bodyguards stayed silent. Shiraishi waited for a response, before shrugging the silence off as if nothing happened. The silver-haired man wrapped an arm around Syusuke, its weight causing the prince to bend downwards just a bit.

"So, what's the plan? Let's do something fun today, yeah?" Shiraishi asked with a positive grin.

The question sent Syusuke into a deep thought. Syusuke believed his friend was originally here only to discuss the current politics between Shitenhoji, Seishun, and Rikkai with his father. However, Shiraishi extended his stay by a few days because he apparently wanted a short vacation. Although Syusuke could not think of anything within the palace walls that Shiraishi had not already seen before, maybe he could offer his friend something different.

"Would you like to meet the new additions to my team of bodyguards? I have three more people in my team since the last time we met," said Syusuke.

Shiraishi appeared satisfied by that answer. "Of course! Then we can just chill for the rest of the day and catch up with each other. Who are your new bodyguards?"

"Kaidoh and Momoshiro joined almost immediately after we last met. I think those two are free right now. As for Ryoma, he's been here for a few months now. He's guarding my brother temporarily until other arrangements can be made."

Shiraishi blinked a couple of times before exclaiming, "Ah, ecstasy! So your little bro returned, huh? You must be jumping in joy inside your head. As for your bodyguards…"

The emperor of Shitenhoji winked at his friend.

He teased, "I can see that one of them is _very special,_ isn't he?"

"Huh?"

"The one that joined only recently is referred to by _first name,_ hm?"

To be fair, Syusuke had a good reason to avoid referring to his youngest bodyguard by his last name – Echizen Nanjiroh's political influence is large, and if Syusuke accidentally leaked Ryoma's identity, the prince would be dragging his friend into Seishun's political problems. However, for some reason, Syusuke found it a little difficult to breathe when Shiraishi brought up the topic.

Shiraishi grinned heartily. "What's with that face, Fuji? Was I right? I must have hit a chord for you to make a face like this."

Syusuke wished he had a mirror. But then again, he might be better off without one.

"He's my friend, Shiraishi."

"Uh-huh. Sure. Tezuka is your friend too and you don't call him by his first name."

Shiraishi snickered at his friend teasingly, and Syusuke was almost embarrassed to meet his eyes. The Shitenhoji emperor thankfully looked away after a few seconds.

"Ryoma sure is a rather common first name," Shiraishi commented.

Syusuke tilted his head, signaling his confusion.

Shiraishi continued, "It's a name I've been hearing a little too much for my liking recently. I guess that's what it's like when Yukimura really wants something. Trust me, you don't want to work with that guy. Anyway, ready to introduce me to your friends yet?"

Syusuke nodded and the two friends walked together towards the dining hall. Tezuka followed them quietly; the prince thought his bodyguard looked oddly pensive but did not give it too much thought. The hallways were emptier than usual due to Syusuke's request, knowing that Shiraishi would prefer a more private meeting, so aside from the guards, most of the other servants were relocated to other parts of the castle for the day.

The prince was not surprised to find Momoshiro and Kaidoh in the dining hall. But seeing the two tall bodyguards with Yuta _without Ryoma_ and the dining hall looking like the aftermath of a tornado caused Syusuke to raise an eyebrow.

Momo and Kaidoh were still fighting when they entered.

"Pretty lively bunch," Shiraishi remarked.

Tezuka appeared ready to order someone to run 100 laps around Seishun.

But before the captain could do anything, Syusuke cleared his throat loudly for everyone in the room to hear.

Three paired of stunned eyes looked back at Syusuke. Momo and Kaidoh's mouths dropped open before they scurried to restore the dining hall back to some semblance of order and greeted the prince as politely as they could. Yuta, who was hiding behind a table, came out and sat next to the two bodyguards while pretending to be nonchalant about this whole thing.

"What. Happened," Syusuke enunciated each word threateningly.

Momoshiro pointed at Kaidoh. "He started it."

Kaidoh growled in disagreement. "What? Don't lie to Fuji-senpai!"

Syusuke shook his head in disapproval.

The prince turned to Yuta. "What happened?"

–

Momoshiro was ecstatic. The dining hall was usually very crowded with servants, but because of Shiraishi's visit, there was no one there except for Kaidoh and him. Maybe he could think of an idea to make lunch time even more enjoyable.

"Hey, Viper! How about a friendly competition?"

A small 'hss' was heard from the fellow bodyguard as a pair of sharp eyes landed on Momoshiro.

"Since the kitchen is free for us to use, how about a cooking competition? The one who makes the best dish wins!" Momo exclaimed. _The extra food I can get from this is going to be great._

The Viper looked ready to refuse the challenge when Yuta and Ryoma walked into the dining hall together, prepared to each lunch. As soon as Ryoma saw Momoshiro and Kaidoh, the youngest bodyguard's eyebrows furrowed, and he frowned.

"Momo-senpai. Kaidoh-senpai," greeted Ryoma coldly.

"Hey, hey! What's with that face, Echizen? You can't act like this in front of your senpai. No, you can't!" Momoshiro complained. "In that case, you and Prince Yuta will be the judges! And the one who wins… Echizen will introduce the winner to Karupin one day!"

Before Ryoma could utter any sort of rejection, Kaidoh got angry for some reason Yuta could not understand and accepted the challenge. Momoshiro used his so-called 'senpai-privileges' against Ryoma and forced the boy to sit down with Yuta. The two older bodyguards moved the kitchen utensils to the dining hall, claiming that this would give them more tablespace and started cooking.

In the meantime, Ryoma shared some drawings of Karupin with Yuta. He apparently carried them with him all the time.

After a while, the cooking was finished, and two big bowls of food-like liquids were presented in front of Ryoma and Yuta. One of the bowls was bubbling and blue, while the other emitted a strange sizzling sound despite it being not nearly as hot as the other bowl.

"No way I'm eating that shit," Ryoma declared with disgust clearly written in his eyes. "I'll bring some real food back, Yuta-san. You can wait here."

Yuta and Momoshiro yelled for him to come back, but the youngest bodyguard had already walked off, speeding towards the kitchen.

"Damn that brat. He sure knows how to run from people," Momoshiro complained.

While Momoshiro was distracted, Yuta hid behind a table at the corner of the dining hall to save himself from the awful-looking food. The large bodyguard never noticed Yuta was gone; he simply started another fight with Kaidoh while looking for Ryoma. This time, they fought with the freshly cooked food.

–

Syusuke could see Momoshiro and Kaidoh beginning to sweat buckets during Yuta's explanation, but the prince held no sympathy for his bodyguards. The prince was not angry, per se, but he did wish it would happen on a different occasion instead of now. Though he found it rather interesting that the two bodyguards seemed more on edge the more he smiled at them.

On the other hand, Shiraishi sat down by a non-destroyed table and watched with amused eyes. Tezuka was most likely going to dish out some kind of punishment afterwards, if the intensity in his eyes were anything to go by.

Heavy footsteps could be heard from the hallway. From the door, Ryoma's figure slowly emerged while carrying four trays of lunch, with one barely balancing on top of his head.

Ryoma was startled by the sudden huge crowd in the dining hall and almost lost his balance (and his lunch).

"Good day, Your Highness," Ryoma greeted carefully. "You have arrived earlier than I expected."

"Hello, Ryoma. Thanks for delivering lunch for me and Shiraishi. How kind of you," Syusuke returned with a smile.

Ryoma and Momoshiro blinked at the prince blankly for a few seconds. Momo was about to explain that Ryoma was delivering lunch for Kaidoh and him until his fellow bodyguard-in-crime elbowed him. Momo finally noticed the grin on Syusuke's face before shivering and shutting his mouth.

Tezuka carefully removed the tray from Ryoma's head and took another tray from his arm, then the captain headed towards the prince and Shiraishi. Ryoma was still dumbfounded by the situation and stood completely still.

"Ryoma," Syusuke said, snapping the youngest bodyguard out of his trance. "Be a dear and give Yuta his lunch, will you? I'm sure he's starving."

"U-understood," Ryoma complied.

As Ryoma walked toward Yuta, Syusuke thought he saw the young bodyguard shooting a mischievous smirk at Momoshiro, while the bigger bodyguard glared back at his kouhai.

"Tezuka, would you like to eat lunch with us?" offered Syusuke.

"I shall eat after my duties, Your Highness, along with Momoshiro and Kaidoh," answered the captain.

"I see," the prince turned to Shiraishi. "I'm sorry you had to see that. But-"

Syusuke cut himself off when he saw Shiraishi's concentrated expression. The prince traced his friend's line of vision and found him staring at Ryoma, who was unknowingly handing Yuta one of the lunch trays. Ryoma was about to sit when he found Shiraishi watching him, and he decided to remain standing.

There were a few seconds of silence.

"Echizen Ryoma?" Shiraishi asked. "You're the one Yukimura is looking for?"

The youngest bodyguard's eyes widened in shock.

Syusuke saw Ryoma's left hand swiftly reaching his katana's scabbard, which was strapped to his waist. Tezuka was also on high alert as he adjusted his glasses and walked closer towards the crowd. Ryoma hesitated and glanced at Syusuke, unsure whether he should get closer to Shiraishi or back away.

"I was just checking if you're the right person. And I'm taking that as a 'yes'," Shiraishi held both of his hands up – a sign of peace.

Neither Ryoma nor Tezuka moved.

The air remained tense for a couple of minutes until Syusuke sighed and lifted his hand, a signal for both of his bodyguards to relax. Tezuka nodded silently and dropped his guard, but Ryoma stayed alert and focused his attention on Shiraishi.

"Echizen," Tezuka warned. "Obey."

Slowly and cautiously, Ryoma released the grip on his katana, but his eyes never left the Shitenhoji emperor.

Shiraishi put his hands down after seeing that he was no longer in life-threatening danger.

"Do you know you have a bounty on your head?" Shiraishi asked Ryoma.

Syusuke could see Ryoma pursing his lips and looking away, his offensive stance finally relaxing.

"No," Ryoma answered briskly.

"From what I've heard about you, you don't seem like the type to dally around and do nothing," Shiraishi concluded. "What exactly _are you doing in Seishun,_ Echizen Ryoma?"

"Whose side are you on, Emperor Shiraishi?" Ryoma questioned back. "Prince Fuji? Or Yukimura?"

"I am on Shitenhoji's side. I do whatever it takes to keep my country safe," Shiraishi replied. "Rest assured that your location will not be revealed to Yukimura. At least, not by me. It is not my intention to sever my ties to Seishun, and I fear that my relationship with Fuji will only worsen if I do anything to you, seeing how hard he is glaring at me at the moment."

Syusuke did not notice he was glaring at his friend until he said that, and the prince bowed at his friend apologetically. Shiraishi appeared to accept the silent apology.

The prince of Seishun admitted to himself that he had no idea what was going on. He did not understand why Ryoma was on high alert nor the reason why Shiraishi would betray his ally by not reporting Ryoma's location.

If there was one thing he could conclude, it was this: Yukimura was looking for Ryoma for some reason, and both Shiraishi and Ryoma agreed that _it was a bad idea_ for the emperor of Rikkai to find him.

Syusuke decided he would do anything to keep Ryoma away from danger. If it meant jeopardizing the Seishun's relationship with Shitenhoji, even if it meant placing Seishun as a direct enemy of Rikkai, Syusuke would still protect Ryoma without a second thought.

"Can you explain the situation to me, Shiraishi?" Syusuke asked his friend as politely as he could, but he could feel his sweating as both of his hands curled up into fists. "I want to understand what is going on."

Shiraishi was about to say something when Ryuzaki Sakuno stepped into the room hurriedly and out of breath. The entire room focused its attention on the intruder.

"S-Shiraishi-sama. His Majesty is looking for you," Sakuno said, nervous under the heavy tension within the room. "And you as well, Your Highness."

The emperor of Shitenhoji sighed. "Looks like this will have to wait for another time, Fuji. Let's move to the audience chamber."

Shiraishi and Syusuke stood from their sitting positions and walked out of the dining hall. Tezuka followed and closed the door of the dining hall behind him when he exited.

The trip to the audience chamber was awkwardly quiet.

* * *

 **Author's note: Next chapter, we move to the beginning of the climax of Fuji's arc. After Fuji's arc, we will continue the story from Ryoma's perspective.**

 **Also the reviews from the last chapter made me really, really happy. I'm so glad that you guys are enjoying the story and I hope you will continue to support it :D**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's note: I actually started this chapter early on, but couldn't finish writing until just now haha.**

 **Looking at the date, next month is this fic's first year anniversary hmmmm.**

 **Well, at least Fuji's arc is almost done. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 13

–

Syusuke could not help but worry about Shiraishi.

He knew he _should_ be worry about his father and about Seishun instead of his friend, who represented a country on the opposing side. He knew he _should_ be standing by his father's side instead of Shiraishi's as soon as they entered the audience chamber.

But he could not bring himself to do it. He did not want to stand by a person he had no affection for and a country he barely cared about.

"Good day to you, Emperor Fuji," Shiraishi's greeting to his father snapped Shusuke out of his thoughts. "I am Shiraishi Kuranosuke, emperor of Shitenhoji. Shitenhoji faces a huge threat from Rikkai, and I am hoping that you could extend some help."

Syusuke's father sat firmly on the throne, looking skeptical of Shiraishi.

"A threat? Shitenhoji is an ally of Rikkai. I'm afraid I do not understand what you are saying."

"I have reasons to believe Shitenhoji faces a potential invasion from Rikkai," Shiraishi replied calmly. "Even after forming an alliance with my country, Shitenhoji was never consulted for any plans regarding the invasion of other countries. When I attempted to inquire about it, Yukimura refused to hear my opinions on the subject matter."

"And?"

"The countries that have fallen to Rikkai are all countries that surround Shitenhoji. This will put my country in the most unfavorable position when the alliance eventually expires. Shitenhoji could be taken over by Rikkai territories from all sides without even giving us a chance to fight back."

The Seishun emperor leaned back on his throne steadily. Syusuke was surprised that his father looked rather calm during this conversation, as if he had expected Shiraishi's bold claims before he even said anything.

"Do you have any proof, Emperor Shiraishi?" asked Syusuke's father. "If what you claim turns out to be inaccurate, it may cast Seishun as a direct opposition to Rikkai, especially if Yukimura learns about what you have said to me just now. We will not put ourselves into such a position if you cannot back up what you said."

"The circumstantial evidence has already been presented to you, and it strongly points towards Yukimura's inclination to cause harm to my country."

"But it is not solid proof," Syusuke's father argued. "You could be wrong, and Seishun could potentially be ruined by my hands."

Shiraishi was about to interject, before the emperor of Seishun cut him off.

"If you are about to offer any incentives for an alliance, save it. There is nothing Shitenhoji could offer that outweighs the risk of going to war with Rikkai."

Shiraishi paused.

In the back of Syusuke's mind, he could tell that something was off about his father's behavior. His father had never been this certain of his own political decisions, not to mention with Shitenhoji and Seishun's history of friendly dealings, Syusuke thought his father would agree to provide at least a little help to Shiraishi.

Syusuke stepped forward shakily and wanted to speak up until Shiraishi stood in front of him, shaking his head. Hesitantly, Syusuke backed off, but not too far away from his friend in case he needed to jump in.

"I was hoping that you could look past our lack of preparation in this regard, Emperor Fuji," Shiraishi added. "It is true that we do not have solid evidence. However, we do have a long history of working together with Seishun, and the two countries had never failed each other. I promise that I will never lie to you for my own gain, so please, consider my proposal."

The emperor of Seishun stared at Shiraishi for a few seconds. Then, as if he never considered anything at all, he replied, "My condolences for Shitenhoji's current situation. However, I cannot risk my country and the lives of my citizens without any concrete proof. As it currently stands, Shitenhoji and Rikkai are allies, and Rikkai is Seishun's enemy. It is not unthinkable that Shitenhoji and Rikkai could work together to bring Seishun down as a team. Therefore, I cannot offer any help to you. I hope you understand."

Shiraishi's disappointment could not be hidden as the emperor of Shitenhoji lowered his head slightly, then slowly transitioning into a polite bow.

"Thank you for your time, Emperor Fuji. Then it is time for me to take my leave."

Syusuke did not even bother listening to whatever his father said next and hurried to follow Shiraishi out the audience chamber. Tezuka also followed them outside, and the door to the audience chamber closed behind them.

The three of them stood silently in the corridor outside of the audience chamber. Fuji wanted to comfort his friend, but he did not know if there were any words of comfort he could offer at all. Shiraishi was understandably distraught by the rejection, but he still patted Fuji's shoulder with a smile.

"Aniki!"

From the far side of the corridor, Syusuke could see Yuta approaching along with Ryoma, who trailed closely behind the younger Fuji brother. Seconds later, Yuta reached Syusuke's side while panting hard. Ryoma also appeared slightly out of breath.

"We came over as soon as we finished fixing up the dining hall," Yuta said. "What happened? Father didn't say anything bad to you, did he?"

Syusuke looked away from his brother, not knowing what to say. Thankfully, Shiraishi was willing to answer for him.

"No, he didn't. His answer to my request was reasonable. I just need to solve my problems by myself," Shiraishi replied. "I'm sorry, Fuji. I thought I would have time to hang out with you, but your father's response was different from what I had expected, so I need to go back to Shitenhoji to prepare anything that might come next."

Syusuke was about to say something to his friend, but a surprising voice jumped in.

"Shiraishi-san, I think you should go to Hyotei and ask for help there," Ryoma suggested. "Hyotei is closer to Rikkai than Seishun is, so they must be feeling more threatened than we are. They are more likely to work with you."

Shiraishi looked skeptical but intrigued nonetheless. "I have not ever worked with Atobe Keigo. In fact, I only know him by name. Would he still be willing to work with someone who is allied to Rikkai right now?"

Ryoma answered confidently, "Trust me. Atobe is very willing to take risks to protect and advance his own country. If it benefits Hyotei, he will do it."

"Sounds like you know him personally."

"Maybe."

Shiraishi pondered his next move and gazed at Ryoma silently. Then, nodding to himself, he concluded, "Thank you for the advice, Echizen. I will try to do everything I can before I go back to Shitenhoji and strike a deal with Yukimura. If there are any other ways you can think of, please let me know. And Fuji," Shiraishi turned to his worried friend. "Take care."

Shiraishi and Fuji greeted each other goodbye, and the emperor of Shitenhoji hurried off to prepare to leave Seishun. Yuta looked concerned and confused at what was happening, but Syusuke did not explain anything to his brother.

If anything, Syusuke would rather Yuta be confused than to involve himself into political matters that did not concern him. Yuta would be happier that way, Syusuke believed.

The group walked away from the audience chamber and towards the dining hall, where they originally came from. During the trip, Syusuke noticed that Tezuka remained pensive throughout the entire incident and increasingly displeased.

"Is something wrong?" Syusuke asked the captain.

Tezuka gave Syusuke a strange look, then turned around to look behind him. After seemingly checking that no one was around to hear the conversation, he responded, "I do not concur with His Majesty's decision."

"Neither do I," Syusuke agreed. "But Shiraishi should be able to-"

"You need to ascend to the throne."

Syusuke's heart stopped beating for a few seconds, before thumping loudly against his chest.

"Many people in this country are waiting for you, Your Highness," Tezuka continued, looking straight into Syusuke's eyes. "As have I. Your father may be a decent ruler, but everyone knows the person who was handling everything behind the scenes. You need to take charge and take over."

Startled, Syusuke took a step back from the captain.

"No, I… I don't want to be the emperor," Fuji stuttered.

"I understand that. We will continue to wait for you until you are ready."

The prince turned his head away from Tezuka's gaze, but as soon as he turned, his eyes came into direct contact with Ryoma's, who was standing next to Yuta. Ryoma's eyes were bright yet devoid of any tangible emotions – there were no signs of expectations or unvoiced opinions. The young bodyguard only stared in silence, as if he was waiting for something to happen.

The prince found that he hated this look on Ryoma.

It reminded Syusuke so much of Tezuka.

If he said what he truly felt, would his bodyguard stop looking like this?

Maybe.

"No," Syusuke muttered. "It's not just I don't want to be the emperor, Tezuka. I don't plan on becoming one."

"It's not a choice, Your Highness. His Majesty had chosen you as the next emperor, and you _will_ obey him."

"I will do something about it. Maybe talk to my father to see if he could make a new law to reverse the decision. But I won't take the throne," answered Syusuke with more strength in his voice.

Tezuka's eyes almost narrowed into a glare. Syusuke found it hard to understand what his friend was thinking, and the atmosphere between them felt more suffocating the longer Tezuka stayed quiet.

 _"Why?"_

A single word. That was all the captain asked.

It was the only word Tezuka had never asked.

Syusuke found his own lips quivering as he opened his mouth to formulate an answer. His throat struggled to make a sound and his mind became a mess. Tezuka's eyes stared straight into Syusuke's; the prince almost felt the urge to look away once more.

No. Not yet.

Even without looking, Syusuke could feel it. Could sense _him_ from behind _._

Ryoma walked from the spot right beside Yuta and stopped at a place a little behind Syusuke. In his mind, the prince knew Ryoma was not there to encourage him – the bodyguard was simply trying to get to a better location, so he could hear the entire conversation.

But there was a sliver of hope which bore uncontrollably within his mind when Ryoma drew closer. Maybe it was because Ryoma was the only one who knew the truth. Or maybe, it was because Ryoma had promised that he would never betray Syusuke.

Syusuke took a deep breath.

"I," Syusuke said with a quaking voice, "I don't have the motivation to be a good ruler. I am not passionate about anything that is going on with this country, nor do I care about the people. I don't even possess the desire of wealth or anything else the throne may offer to me. I simply don't care, and I don't want to care. I only wish to care about the people that are truly close to me. Isn't that enough, Tezuka?"

The prince could feel the seconds tick by as he waited for the captain's answer.

"Your emotional involvement with the country should never be the deciding factor, Fuji," replied Tezuka.

Syusuke's heart almost shattered into tiny pieces.

He never knew that a close friend's disapproval could hurt so much.

The captain continued, "Ruling a country is not a matter of emotional attachment. It's a matter of taking the country to higher places, making the country better than ever before; it is a matter of accomplishment and honor. You don't do is as part of a maintenance, Fuji. You strive for it."

The prince felt a streak of wetness slowly moving down his cheek, but he could not care less at the moment.

"Why? Why don't you understand, Tezuka?" Syusuke asked with a cracking voice. "I'm not like you! I can't be like you! I can't take my country to a better state _because_ I _can't_ care about it! I don't know the people living in the country; I don't like my father; I don't care for the politics. Improving the country benefits _mostly people I don't know._ I can't work for something like that!"

"Then what would you do?" Tezuka's response was immediate, and a look of disapproval was finally expressed from his eyes. "Change the country's laws on a pure personal distaste? Or run away like a criminal, just like how Echizen Nanjiroh did?"

 _See? You won't understand. You can't. You've always been able to do everything that you strived for, unlike me._

 _What aren't you the crown prince instead?_

Syusuke turned and ran away from Tezuka as fast as he could. He could hear Yuta's worried voice yelling for him to come back, but the prince kept running.

And running.

–

He shut himself inside his room.

* * *

 **Author's note: I might come back to fix this chapter later. To make it more heartbreaking, maybe.**

 **If you liked this fic, please review/favorite/follow! It's _my_ main source of motivation to keep going. :D**


	14. Chapter 14: Interlude

**Author's Note: Did anyone miss me? No? Okay... (Cries in a corner)**

 **I was really busy over the past two months so I wasn't able to update. I'll try to be more consistent with the update schedule but no guarantees.**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 14: INTERLUDE

–

There was no stopping the exploding tension between Yuta and Tezuka as soon as Syusuke ran away from the scene. Yuta angrily grabbed the captain by his collar while the captain simply remained motionless and did not bother to lift a hand to defend himself.

"Tezuka! Why the hell did you just say that?" Yuta growled at Tezuka. "How dare you make my brother cry like that!"

The captain was completely unfazed.

"Please excuse my harsh words, Prince Yuta, but I will not apologize for what I said. His Highness needed to hear the truth, and you know it," Tezuka countered calmly.

"Why you…!"

Ryoma could see Yuta's hands shaking as the younger prince struggled to maintain his composure. Yuta was obviously angered, but he was also tongue-tied, not being able to find any words to yell back at the captain. Maybe a part of Yuta also agreed with Tezuka's logic, and it was crippling his ability to fight back.

 _This is not good,_ Ryoma thought to himself.

Deep down, Ryoma knew this was coming eventually when he sensed the lack of understanding between Syusuke and Tezuka some time ago. While Ryoma understood where Tezuka was coming from, he naturally sided with Syusuke inside his mind after knowing how the crown prince felt about the whole situation.

It was, in a way, a story that was eerily similar to his own. That is, if Ryoma were to become the crown prince.

Or if he stayed in Rikkai.

Unfortunately for Syusuke, no one was truly on his side. Either Tezuka was too convincing in his arguments, or he held too much power over everyone involved in Syusuke's life. Probably both, plus a combination of other reasons, Ryoma concluded after working under Tezuka for a while. Regardless, this could not be good for Syusuke's mentality.

It was time for Ryoma to intervene. But how?

Ryoma's gaze fell towards the ground.

A shadow of a figure crossed his mind in a flash.

Ryoma's mood soured immediately at the method that arrived in his mind, but it was something that could potentially convince Tezuka to be more open to what Syusuke had to say.

An aura began forming around his body as he activated one of the doors of Muga no Kyochi.

He took a deep breath.

"Captain," Ryoma voiced. "Don't you think you were going too far?"

His mouth moved before his mind reacted to it. That was the power of the Pinnacle of Hard Work; his body was no longer under the control of his mind.

Tezuka's attention was still focused on Yuta. Barely moving an inch, the captain replied, "I have already answered that question, Echizen. His Highness needed to-"

"I wasn't talking about Prince Syusuke. I was talking about _me_ , Captain," Ryoma coldly interjected.

Tezuka froze abruptly with widened and confused eyes.

" _Run away like a criminal, just like Echizen Nanjiroh_ , you said," the young bodyguard quoted with a fierce glare. "You have implied that you view Echizen Nanjiroh as a criminal within Seishun's borders. And _how dare you_?"

The young bodyguard could see Yuta's grip on Tezuka loosening over the shock of seeing Ryoma in an entranced state. On the other hand, Tezuka was finally paying full attention to the younger bodyguard and stared at Ryoma, completely stunned.

Ryoma continued, "Divisive figure as he is, Echizen Nanjiroh was never convicted of any crimes, and thus, he is still supposed to be treated as part of the royal lineage. Insulting him within the palace walls, in front of the crown prince I might add, is quite a bold move, don't you think?"

With his left hand, Ryoma drew his sword and swung. The blade stopped right before it reached Tezuka's neck.

The captain did not budge. Ryoma applauded the captain's calmness inside his head.

"I suppose insulting Echizen Nanjiroh in front of either of the Fuji princes would not land you in any trouble under normal circumstances," the young bodyguard scoffed. "But surely you haven't forgotten about _my_ position within the royal family?"

It was an overblown bluff that was just short of being a lie.

Because Echizen Nanjiroh was never convicted of any crimes, he remained as a member of the royal family by the legal definition of Seishun's laws. By extension, Ryoma, the son of Echizen Nanjiroh, would also be classified as part of the royal family. A _prince_ , in fact. However, with Nanjiroh's long absence within the country, even if the previous emperor were to return to the country, he would have no power or command over the Fuji family's reign.

In short, Ryoma was a member of the royal family with no political power whatsoever. At least, not without involving outside countries.

But Ryoma had always been a gambler.

Ryoma knew that Tezuka understood the relationship between him and Echizen Nanjiroh a long time ago even as Ryoma lied through his teeth, and Tezuka simply never said anything. He was willing to bet that Tezuka would respect where he was coming from, especially with how much the captain cared about traditions and formalities.

The young bodyguard stilled and waited for the captain's next move.

Yuta's grip on Tezuka had completely loosened. After a few seconds of tension, Tezuka slowly backed away from the both of them and kneeled down.

Slowly, Tezuka answered, "I apologize. It seems I had crossed the line with my words."

Ryoma's eyes narrowed.

"Captain, did you know that if the previous emperor had never brought me with him as he left, I would have been next in line for the throne?"

The reply was immediate. "Yes."

"I was, in other words, almost in the same position which His Highness is currently in. Even back when I lived here, there was a sense of unhappiness and sadness I could sense from Father as I watched his reign on Seishun's throne. Do you know why?"

Tezuka's eyes were tinged in confusion. "Unhappiness?"

"Yes. Uncharacteristic of him, isn't it? I'm sure you know of Echizen Nanjiroh's character from Ryuzaki-sensei's ramblings."

For a split second, Tezuka's eyes met with Ryoma's. Then he looked down once more as he continued to kneel.

"No, I could not fathom why," answered the captain.

"Neither do I. But looking at His Highness today, I think I am beginning to understand," Ryoma said, returning his sword back into the sheath. "Captain, think hard about His Highness's words. Understand that the world he lives in may not be as simple as you think it is."

Without batting another eye at Tezuka, Ryoma grabbed Yuta's hand and dragged the dumbfounded younger prince away from the scene.

Tezuka stayed in the same spot and kneeled for another ten minutes.

–

"W-w-what was that?" Yuta exclaimed after he had recovered from his shock. "That was the most words I've ever hear you say in a single sitting! My legs are so numb just from staring at you for some reason! Holy crap!"

Ryoma looked at Yuta's face, then at his legs. "Oh. I used a skill to mimic someone's talking style. I might have accidentally yipped you. Oops."

"What the hell does that mean?"

Ryoma whacked Yuta's legs a few times, almost causing Yuta to jump up into the air. "Don't worry too much. The stiffness will be gone in a bit," Ryoma explained nonchalantly.

"That doesn't explain anything!"

 _I might have gone a little overboard, if someone could get yipped from this._ Ryoma thought to himself. _The captain should be fine after a while. Right now, there's someone else I need to see._

"Stop ignoring me, Echizen!" Yuta yelled into Ryoma's ear.

The younger bodyguard frowned unhappily. "Geez, fine, I'll explain," Ryoma rubbed his ringing ears. "I learned from someone that you can make someone listen to you if you win some kind of argument against them, okay? But I'm not very good at talking to people, so I had to pretend to be someone else. Happy now?"

Yuta wanted to continue to ask for more explanations. Conveniently for Ryoma, Oishi happened to pass by the same corridor they were walking in, and Ryoma quickly directed his attention towards the vice-captain.

"Oishi-senpai!" Ryoma waved his hand at the vice-captain.

Oishi smiled casually and approached Ryoma. "Hey, Echizen. What's up-"

"Senpai, can you takeover my shift for a bit? I just remembered I have something important to do!" Ryoma exclaimed and began to run away.

Yuta and Oishi stared at each other, taking a few moments to comprehend the situation before realizing that the young bodyguard had basically just ditched them for no apparent reason.

"Hey, Echizen! We're not done here!" Yuta yelled frustratedly.

"Echizen! Remember to come back later, okay?" Oishi shouted in mild concern.

–

Ryoma had always known that communication was not one of his strong suits, but he had never considered it much of a problem until now.

He stood quietly in front of Fuji Syusuke's door, unsure of what to say or do.

Usually, Syusuke would have either opened the door to greet him as soon as the prince realized someone was standing at his door. If he did not do that, the prince (or one of his bodyguards) would be the first one to ask who was at the door.

Neither of those happened.

It was to be expected. Syusuke ran away from Tezuka of all people and cried. Even if the prince realized someone was at the door, he probably would not be in the mood to talk to anyone.

 _How do I talk to someone that's emotionally sensitive and doesn't want to talk to me?_ Ryoma grumbled inside his mind.

Syusuke's room was completely silent. Ryoma stared at the sliding doors and was tempted to open them.

 _No. That would only make it worse._ _But we can't talk with a sliding door between us. Not now._

Ryoma decided to go for the most direct option. Consequences be damned.

"Fuji-senpai," Ryoma voiced softly. "Can I please come in?"

Syusuke had never opened his room to Ryoma. In fact, from what Ryoma had heard from Kikumaru, Syusuke had not invited anyone into his bedroom for a long time. Originally, Ryoma thought it was some sort of rule for the bodyguard to guard the room door at all times instead of being beside the prince, but apparently it was not the case.

At some point, Syusuke stopped inviting even his closest bodyguards inside his private bedroom. The prince still allowed the bodyguards to his workroom, but no one had seen the prince's bedroom in a long time.

Syusuke did not reply.

Ryoma's stomach was getting a sickening feeling as the young bodyguard felt he was about to be rejected. But he stood still without budging, waiting patiently for any sort of response.

Soon, Ryoma heard a whisper.

"Sure."

It was a very small, airy voice that sounded terribly tired. The voice was so soft that if Ryoma had stepped back even a little, he would have missed it.

The young bodyguard could feel his heart beating harshly against his chest. He placed his hand on the door.

"Please excuse me."

He stepped into Syusuke's bedroom.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Oh god this took so long. I rewrote this a bunch of times to make sure the part with Ryoma mimicking someone else is not too choppy and awkward. What do you guys think?**


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: Kind of hit a writer's block for the past few weeks. Hopefully this doesn't stick around for too long.**

* * *

Chapter 15

–

At first, Syusuke thought it might have been Tezuka.

It was nighttime, and the bright moonlight outside casted a distorted shadow of the figure outside of his room onto the sliding doors. Fuji could not quite figure out who it was from the shadow alone, but he could not be bothered to care. He saw the figure approach the door and hesitate.

Then he realized it could not have been Tezuka.

 _Of course not. Why would he?_

Syusuke almost felt stupid for even entertaining that thought in the first place.

Leaning sideways on his bed, the prince curled up and hugged his knees. His eyes continued following the movements of the shadow outside his door, but he did not bother speaking up to greet whoever it was.

Maybe if he simply stayed quiet, everyone would go away, he thought. But whoever was at the door clearly did not think so.

"Fuji-senpai, can I please come in?"

It was Ryoma's voice. Syusuke was not sure how to reply; he did not want to talk to anyone. So he kept his mouth shut; he hoped Ryoma would go away, like all of his bodyguards most likely would have if they were in the same situation.

But Ryoma's shadow did not budge one bit. It was a waiting game – one that Syusuke found himself at the losing end when he unintentionally gave in and muttered, "Sure."

The prince almost immediately regretted it.

"Please excuse me," Ryoma said.

And the bedroom door was opened, revealing a worried looking Ryoma.

Syusuke pursed his lips and stared at his bodyguard tiredly. Ryoma slowly approached him and placed a hand on Syusuke's forehead. After checking that there was nothing wrong, Ryoma stepped back and waited.

And waited.

Then, the bodyguard must had realized that the prince was not about to talk at all.

Ryoma took a step forward towards Syusuke once again, kneeling down on his knees and meeting Syusuke at eye-level.

His face was so, _so_ close.

"Fuji-senpai," Ryoma said, taking a long pause in between to gather his thoughts, "you need to ask for help when you're struggling. No one knows how to help you if you don't speak up."

The bodyguard waited patiently for a response.

"Nobody listens," Syusuke replied.

The prince knew the response was uncharacteristic of him, judging by Ryoma's widened eyes. However, he did not have the heart to care.

"T-that's not true," Ryoma denied, shaking his head. "What about Kikumaru-senpai? Kawamura-senpai?"

"They _fear_ Tezuka."

It was the first time Syusuke had ever used that word to describe the relationship between his bodyguards and the captain. The prince had always relegated to using the word 'respect' instead of 'fear', as if it would help the prince himself cope with the situation.

But it never did. And Syusuke wanted to vent out all the sadness inside.

Ryoma appeared to have no words. Not surprising, considering how short of a time he had been in royal palace. He barely knew the bodyguards around him, let alone the relationships amongst all of them.

"Then _I'll_ listen," Ryoma responded decisively. "I'm here. Don't shut me away."

Syusuke stared into Ryoma's eyes, then found himself unable to avert them. It had always been like this; Ryoma's eyes shone so brightly, it almost made Syusuke believe that everything would be solved just by telling Ryoma everything.

They continued staring for a while. Syusuke still had no intentions of saying anything, but Ryoma was determined to not let him go. Ryoma took Syusuke's hand, wrapped his fingers softly around it, and held it firmly.

His hand was warm.

Syusuke averted his gaze. He was always, always the first one to give in to Ryoma.

"I don't remember how much I've told you," Syusuke said and slowly sat up. "It feels like I already told you everything you needed to know, and yet, at the same time, it also seems like you know nothing at all."

"You haven't actually told me anything aside from your problem with Tezuka and what you thought about being the crown prince."

"Is that right?" Syusuke mumbled. "There's not much more to it, really. Tezuka and I have known each other for ages, and so have most of the bodyguards. The captain had always been someone to respect, even for the others. It was only natural for everyone to listen to him more than they listen to me."

Ryoma frowned. "No, it's not. You're the crown prince. There's no reason why they would listen to the captain more than you, who is clearly more important."

Biting his lower lip, Syusuke reluctantly shook his head. The words were getting harder to speak as Ryoma drove the conversation towards a more personal territory. He was scared – afraid of accidentally giving an answer that might sound awful or shallow, and absolutely terrified of Ryoma's reactions to his words.

The bodyguard waited silently.

Syusuke swallowed in nervousness, before he slowly said, "They know me, Ryoma. The rest of the bodyguards… they know that I'm not up to positions of leadership. But Tezuka… he has always been stronger. More powerful. More respectable. When my bodyguards realize that I was not going to make the right decisions, they listen to Tezuka instead. It's the only correct way."

 _But because of this, they don't listen to my requests anymore unless it is required of them._

Ryoma took a few seconds to process the information.

"You don't like how they only listen to the captain," the bodyguard confirmed.

Syusuke replied shakily, "No."

"Have you tried telling them what you told me just now?"

Shocked, Syusuke opened his blue eyes on reflex and gaped at Ryoma. "Of course not! How could I possibly tell them something like that?"

The young bodyguard raised an eyebrow at the response and said nothing.

The silence between the two of them was deafening to Syusuke. The prince wanted nothing more than to stop Ryoma from asking more questions and just sulk by himself, but the bodyguard was still holding captive of one of his hands, so he could not move. He attempted to pull his hand away, but the bodyguard did not even notice the small movement as Ryoma's hand barely budged.

"I think… I finally understand why you have so many friends, yet feel disconnected to all of them," Ryoma stated softly. "Fuji-senpai, have you ever voiced a complaint towards anyone?"

Biting his lower lip, Syusuke did not give a reply.

Ryoma continued, "You know, whenever Momo-senpai is frustrated with me, he would always loudly complain about how snarky or cheeky I was. Kikumaru-senpai would climb onto my back and cry about it. These are small, little things, but they are important things to have between friends."

Syusuke found out that he must had been tearing up when Ryoma reached out with one hand and wiped a tear away. Quickly, the prince turned his head away, attempting to wipe his face with the sleeve of his kimono.

"You've never said those type of things to me – even though you tease me a lot, you've never complained about me, and almost never about your friends," Ryoma said. "But your friends are not mind readers. If you don't say it, they won't know it. When they don't know it, they begin to rely on assumptions. That's why the captain did not understand – he thought you were doing fine."

Ryoma wiped another tear from Syusuke's face using his own sleeve. However, the more the tears were wiped, the more tears appeared. Syusuke sniffled. Through his own tears, he could barely see Ryoma's figure clearly.

But he could still feel his bodyguard's hand around his own.

"I'm just… I'm scared! I'm terrified of telling Tezuka the rest of my feelings! I'm afraid that he's going to reject everything I say to him, and we won't even be friends anymore!" Syusuke wept. "I wanted to tell him. I tried. I really did. I wanted to let him know how I've felt these past years, but even just by starting the conversation, I could already feel his disapproval, and it just feels so suffocating."

The tears broke out from the flood gate and began to flow endlessly. His sleeve was completely wet, so he did not want to wipe his face with it anymore. Ryoma looked around the room, found a folded, decorative handkerchief on one of the tables, and handed it to the prince.

"The captain is not that shallow," replied the bodyguard.

But the tears did not stop. Not for a long while.

Syusuke tried his best to suppress his crying, but it only seemed to make everything worse. Clutching the handkerchief in his hand, Syusuke could not bring himself to talk again until an hour had passed. By then, his tears were finally drying out.

It made the prince unnaturally grateful that Ryoma had never left his side.

"Ne, Ryoma," Syusuke whispered. "Do you really think Tezuka will listen to me? Without rejecting our friendship by the end?"

"Of course."

There was no doubt in those golden eyes.

At that moment, Syusuke thought he had never seen anything so beautiful.

"Ryoma."

"Yeah?"

"Can I… have a hug?"

"Sure."

The bodyguard did not move nor open his arms.

Confused, Syusuke stared at Ryoma, only to find Ryoma's eyes directly meeting his own. The prince felt as if Ryoma was trying to communicate something through the look in his eyes alone. Unsure of himself, Syusuke extended his arms towards his bodyguard. Slim, callused fingers lightly touched Ryoma's shoulders before the prince wrapped his arms tightly around Ryoma.

The prince could feel his bodyguard's arms around him.

 _Thud. Thud. Thud._

Syusuke's heart pounded heavily. His whole body was shaking, and he briefly wondered if Ryoma could feel his heartbeat through their physical contact.

"I… I'm going to talk to Tezuka again."

Ryoma let go of the prince at looked into his eyes.

Syusuke continued, "Will you go with me and stay by my side? You don't need to do anything… I just… don't want to go alone."

With his index finger, Ryoma pushed Syusuke's forehead softly, sending his head slightly backwards. It was a playful gesture, yet comforting, nonetheless.

"I promised I'll stay by your side. If you want me there, then I'll be there."

The prince caught his bodyguard's finger and smiled genuinely for what felt like the first time in forever.

"Thanks, Ryoma."

The corner of Ryoma's lips curved downwards. "Let go of my finger."

The request was completely ignored.

Standing up from his bed, Syusuke stretched with one arm up in the air and took a few deep breaths. The other arm, with Ryoma's finger still captured, released his bodyguard briefly before taking hold of Ryoma's entire hand instead. Syusuke stepped outside of his bedroom and began to walk towards Tezuka's workroom, pulling Ryoma along with him.

The path to Tezuka's workplace was long and meandering.

The prince pondered what kind of face Ryoma was making behind him as Syusuke dragged his bodyguard along. Maybe he had an annoyed expression like he always did, or maybe a frown. Syusuke was not sure why the thought even crossed his mind, but he was scared to look behind him.

The curiosity forced his head to turn around anyways.

Ryoma's expression was blank, to say the least. However, as soon as Syusuke's head turned, their eyes met each other's.

 _Thud. Thud-thud. Thud._

His heart began racing in an uneven beat.

The prince quickly looked away and kept walking.

Soon, the reached the door to Tezuka's office. Syusuke stopped in front of the door and paused, letting go of Ryoma's hand. The young bodyguard leaned against the wall next to the door and crossed his arm while Syusuke took another few deep breaths.

"Ryoma," Syusuke whispered. "Please stay."

"I will," Ryoma promised. "Stop dallying and go already, geez."

Syusuke reached out with his hand and poked Ryoma's cheek, resulting in Ryoma smacking the prince's hand away wordlessly. The prince chuckled and ruffled Ryoma's hair before stepping away.

Slowly, he opened the door to Tezuka's workplace.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Just out of curiosity, how much do you think Fuji and Ryoma like each other at this point in the story? I really want to know what all of you are thinking as you are reading this.**

 **Please drop a review if you liked it! Maybe it'll be what I need to get myself out of the writer's block...**


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: I should be sleeping, but I really wanted to finish this chapter so here it is. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 16

–

As expected, Tezuka was at his desk when his eyes met with Syusuke's.

The racing heartbeat Syusuke felt outside the room was quickly replaced with a much more erratic one. His body felt heavy, and his breathing became unsteady. Tezuka, on the other hand, looked as calm as ever. Uncomfortable with Tezuka's gaze, Syusuke looked away.

"We need to talk," Syusuke said with all the strength he could muster.

Tezuka nodded at the prince before adjusting his glasses. "Of course," the captain replied calmly. "I was reminded by someone recently that we have not had a conversation for a long time… as friends."

Syusuke's eyes widened, his blue irises meeting with Tezuka's eyes once more. Unsure of how to proceed with the conversation, Syusuke's eyes darted towards the floor again, and silence ensued. Tezuka tidied up the papers on his worktable as he waited for Syusuke to start talking.

The noise of the flipping paper was the only sound Syusuke could hear. The atmosphere was unnerving, and Syusuke thought about giving up, but when he turned his head and saw the door, he remembered Ryoma was waiting for him outside. He did not want to fail Ryoma's expectations. The prince's mind blanked, struggling to come up with the words that he needed to say.

"Ne, Tezuka."

The captain stopped his work and looked at the prince.

Syusuke continued, "Why do you want me to ascend to the throne?"

The prince could feel himself subconsciously swallowing out of nervousness while he anxiously waited for a reply. Tezuka, on the other hand, appeared calm like he always did, as if he already had an answer prepared in mind.

"I believe in your abilities," answered the captain. "Over the years, you've shown me what you're capable of doing, and in many cases, your decision-making abilities even surpass your father's. For example, the whole ordeal with Shitenhoji – I believe if you were emperor instead of your father, you would have handled the whole situation much better than he did."

Syusuke bit his lower lip uncomfortably. He was not sure how he would have handled it differently, if he had been the emperor instead of his father. The prince did not think that his father made the _wrong_ decision; after all, Shitenhoji was indeed allied with Rikkai, which made them dangerous to deal with. If Shitenhoji decided to betray Seishun after a deal was made, Seishun would fall into a giant load of trouble. On the other hand, Syusuke knew it would never happen because Shiraishi would never betray his friends.

If he were the emperor instead of his father, he might have taken a leap of faith in Shiraishi instead of rejecting the deal with Shitenhoji, despite the risks it presented. But would that truly be the best decision for the country? Just thinking about the issue made Syusuke's head throb like never before.

"I… was scared of disappointing my family and my friends," Syusuke whispered. "I never talked about how I felt about my work, because I believed it would benefit everyone if I just worked hard. But eventually, the work started piling up, and the expectations of me got higher and higher. It was _suffocating,_ Tezuka."

The prince continued, "I never wanted this. I just wanted my friends to live happily. I can't handle all the responsibilities and politics that come with being the emperor. All this time, the position of the crown prince has caused me nothing but pain, and I want nothing more than for it to stop."

Syusuke could not remember the last time he complained about his own problems to Tezuka. In fact, he was not sure if he ever mentioned anything of the sort. He never wanted Tezuka's mental image of him to change, but now, there was no way Tezuka would not be disappointed in him.

 _I'm sorry for letting you down,_ Syusuke apologized inside his head.

Tezuka's eyebrows furrowed as the captain stared at Syusuke, deep in thought.

"How do you plan on leaving the throne?" asked Tezuka.

"Huh?"

"There's only one person in Seishun history that has ever abandoned the throne, and that was Echizen Nanjiroh. What he did was technically legal at the time, so he is not considered a criminal, but the way he left the country behind felt like significant betrayal to many people, making many people despise him and even people related to him. If you can find a way to escape and avoid the consequences that Echizen Nanjiroh suffered, then I won't say anything if you decide to leave."

Syusuke was stunned.

"Y-you won't?"

"I won't. I still believe that you will be the best emperor Seishun has ever had, if you become the emperor. But, as a friend, I do not want you to suffer either. If being the crown prince truly causes you such pain, I do not want to force you to stay."

A sense of relief came crashing onto Syusuke. His legs gave in, and the prince slumped onto the wooden floor. Seeing Syusuke in an unexpectedly weakened state, Tezuka worriedly stepped away from his table and hurried towards his friend.

"I thought you would hate me if I told you all of this," Syusuke confessed.

Tezuka had no verbal response. Instead, he patted Syusuke's head, as if he was consoling a terrified child. Syusuke was rendered temporarily speechless.

"Thanks," the prince said after collecting his thoughts. "I'll find a way. I definitely will."

The captain nodded in understanding.

The usual smile crept onto Syusuke's face. "Tezuka, you're busy, right? I won't bother you anymore for today."

Syusuke was beginning to feel awkward with the head pat, so he attempted to escape from Tezuka by implying that he should go back to work. Thankfully, Tezuka did not attempt to stop him from leaving as Syusuke quickly turned towards the door and slipped outside of the captain's workroom.

The prince closed the door with a quick slam, and once Tezuka was no longer in his sight, he could feel his heartbeat returning normal. All of a sudden, a sense of coldness he did not realize he felt inside the room faded away. He slowly let out a sigh.

It took a few deep breaths before his chaotic thoughts returned to normal. After calming himself, Syusuke looked around the area.

Ryoma was nowhere to be seen.

Syusuke frowned. He was not sure why he felt unhappy at the realization that his bodyguard had left.

"Ryoma?" Syusuke called.

There was no response, but a loud chatter could be heard from afar. Syusuke slowly approached the noise and walked down the corridor. As he turned around at a corner, he finally found his bodyguard alongside his younger brother, who was yelling at Ryoma for some reason.

"Yuta?"

"Aniki!" Yuta exclaimed, turning around to face his older brother. "Are you okay? Did Tezuka say anything terrible? I'll punch him for you if he made you feel uncomfortable!"

Syusuke let out a chuckle. "Please don't do that. I'm okay. We sorted it out."

"… You did? Huh," Yuta said with wide eyes.

Syusuke tilted his head. _What was that reaction?_

"Oh, it's just that I kind of expected this to be a big argument. Y'know, since it seems like this has been going on for years now, and you guys never fixed it," explained Yuta, who scratched his head in embarrassment.

It was just as surprising to Syusuke himself that Tezuka accepted the fact so quickly. He had anticipated that Tezuka would never accept his viewpoint and braced himself for the worst-case scenario, but now, all of his mental preparation just felt silly.

 _Maybe this was all simply a reaction to my crying,_ Syusuke thought. _Maybe Tezuka was feeling guilty._

However, it would be rather out of character for the captain, if this was indeed the case. The captain was the type of person who would always stand by his own values. Seeing Syusuke's crying should not change that fact. But then, what did?

Something Tezuka said suddenly popped into the prince's mind – the captain was 'reminded by someone' that they should have a talk with each other as friends.

"I wonder," Syusuke muttered, "if someone convinced Tezuka for me."

At that, Yuta became unexpectedly silent. The younger prince then turned around and wrapped an arm around one Echizen Ryoma, who was attempting an escape from the scene and was forcefully pulled back into the scene.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Yuta asked frustratedly.

Ryoma gave the younger prince an exasperated frown and said nothing.

"Aniki, Echizen was the one who talked to Tezuka for you," Yuta stated. "After you ran away, Echizen trampled all over Tezuka with his words and bluffs! You should have seen the captain's face! Wait, no, you should have seen Echizen's acting. My legs were numbed just from watching him!"

"What? That wasn't what happened!" Ryoma exclaimed. Syusuke noticed a small blush forming on the young bodyguard's face.

"Oh yeah? Then why were you yelling at Tezuka?" Yuta retorted.

"I wasn't yelling at him. I was just telling him that he needed to listen to Fuji-senpai's feelings," answered Ryoma.

 _Thud-thud._

 _Ah._

The uneven heartbeat had returned to Syusuke. But instead of an inexplicable coldness, Syusuke could feel himself warming up, and his body becoming lighter.

Eventually, Ryoma finished arguing with Yuta, and his amber eyes met with Syusuke's blue irises. Every time Syusuke saw those eyes, he wondered how they could be so lively and bright. Ryoma looked as though he was uncomfortable with Syusuke's staring, but kept the eye contact solely due to stubbornness.

The prince stepped forward and hugged his bodyguard tightly.

"Thank you," Syusuke smiled happily. "You've done so much for me ever since you came here. I don't know how I could repay you. I lo-"

Syusuke cut himself short and slowly covered his lips with one hand.

 _I love you so much._

 _Of course,_ the prince thought to himself. _How could I be so blind?_

He should have noticed when his heart began beating irregularly around Ryoma. He should have realized that whenever Ryoma was around, he was feeling more like himself. He should have pondered why he felt comfortable confessing his secrets that none of his friends ever knew to Ryoma and nobody else.

"Fuji-senpai?" Ryoma's voice was muffled by Syusuke's embrace.

 _But they cannot be together. He cannot confess._

Syusuke's smile faltered at the thought.

If Syusuke confessed, Ryoma would be brought under public scrutiny. Being related to Echizen Nanjiroh would only make it all the more dangerous for Ryoma to be closely associated to the prince in a romantic way, especially because romantic relationships was often the start of unwanted and harmful rumors, leading towards other terrifying dangers.

He refused to let Ryoma get hurt.

"It's nothing, Ryoma,"Syusuke hugged his bodyguard even more tightly and patted Ryoma on his head. "Can I hold you like this for a little longer?"

"Sure."

There was a dull pain inside his heart, and yet, a strong warmth from Ryoma's small body soothed his mind.

For now, he would have to be content with how things were. Syusuke recalled once again how the public reacted to the last name 'Echizen' as Ryoma won the eating contest and trembled at the thought. If only he could get away…

Then maybe, they could be together.

"Ne, Ryoma, would you wait for me?"

"Huh?"

"Stay with me. Don't leave."

"What are you talking about, Fuji-senpai? How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not leaving?"

"Good."

 _That's good._

Syusuke smiled. He could do this. He would find a way to escape and confess to Ryoma. But until then…

 _Please don't leave me._

* * *

 **Author's Note: Aaaaand this is the end of Fuji's arc. From this point on, the story will be focusing on Ryoma.**

 **So, let me know what you think! Please leave a review if you liked it. Thanks!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: Whew, the writer's block I got last month was BAD. I rewrote this chapter so many times, and I'm still not quite satisfied with it. Hopefully it didn't turn out too horrible.**

* * *

Chapter 17

–

Ryoma stood silently in front of the audience chamber, lost in thought. Every time, the thought of speaking with the emperor always stirred up certain buried memories – and along with it, many doubts he had for the emperor.

The bodyguard remembered the sight of the streets of Seishun during his return from Rikkai.

 _On one side of the road, there were people living happily, wearing expensive jewelry and clothing. Ryoma only needed to adjust the line of his sight by a little to find an alleyway full of homeless people on the other side, simply laying around and doing nothing._

 _During the two-hour walk towards the Seishun Castle, he saw one foot soldier on patrol. Just one._

 _A small, well-dressed child bumped into Ryoma, disrupting his observations. Ryoma's swift reflexes allowed him to catch the small child by his arm._

 _"Don't assume that you can always get away easily from stealing people's money," Ryoma warned while holding a strong grip as the child struggled to get away. "One of these days, you will get into more trouble than what the money is worth."_

 _The child dropped the money he pickpocketed, and Ryoma loosened his grip. The child made a mocking face before running away, laughing loudly._

 _Ryoma frowned. This was something he had never experienced during his entire time in Rikkai, and he briefly wondered why._

–

Shortly afterwards, another unpleasant thought tugged at the back of his mind.

 _It was an experience on the balcony of the Rikkai Castle. Ryoma was looking down from where he stood; what he saw was a peaceful country with no crimes as far as the eye could see._

 _"A chawanmushi for your thoughts?" said a voice behind Ryoma._

 _The young boy turned his head and found Yukimura – the emperor of Rikkai – looking at him with a smile, offering the cup of chawanmushi in his hand._

 _"Thanks," Ryoma said and gladly accepted the food._

 _The two were silent for a few seconds._

 _"Well?" asked Yukimura, still smiling._

 _"What?"_

 _"Your thoughts."_

 _Ryoma took a big spoonful of the chawanmushi into his mouth before returning his gaze towards the scenery below the balcony. Yukimura took the spot next to Ryoma and attempted to discover what the young boy found so fascinating._

 _"This country is so quiet," Ryoma stated. "Nothing ever happens."_

 _"Do you want something to happen?" Yukimura questioned._

 _The young boy next to the Rikkai emperor provided no response and ate another spoonful of food. However, Ryoma was certain Yukimura could sense the distaste he felt from that question from Ryoma's facial expressions._

 _"Nothing happening is a good thing," the Rikkai emperor replied. "It means that the citizens are content with their living conditions – and most importantly – me."_

 _Ryoma gave Yukimura an incredulous look. "I didn't think you cared about your public perception."_

 _"I do. Any normal human being does."_

 _"You're kidding, right?"_

 _"I'm not joking, Ryoma," Yukimura answered, turning his sight from the scenery back to Ryoma. "As an emperor, public perception is a thing that must be protected. If the masses have a good view of you, you can gain much more loyalty from them. And from loyalty… stems the ability to control them however I wish."_

 _Ryoma frowned. "And you call yourself a normal person."_

 _"Oh, I do believe I am very normal," Yukimura chuckled. "I can't afford to have broken chess pieces in a game, little boy. I need them to function exactly the way I want them to. Die when I need them to. I'll do whatever it takes to keep it that way. Of course, that includes creating laws for the sake of sustaining the country."_

 _Ryoma turned away from the balcony, no longer wanting to stay. He quickly stomped away from Yukimura, throwing the empty cup of chawanmushi straight at Yukimura. The emperor of Rikkai caught the cup (and the spoon that came along with it) with ease._

 _"You'll understand one day," Yukimura stated. "After all, I think you and I are rather similar."_

–

Ryoma blinked, snapping himself out of his chaotic thoughts and back to the present. He had been standing in front of the doors to the audience chamber for too long, and the guards around him looked uneasy. Letting out an exhale of frustration, the young bodyguard knocked on the door in front of him, and the heavy doors slowly opened.

Syusuke's father – the emperor of Seishun – sat on the throne confidently.

"Good day, Your Majesty," greeted Ryoma.

"Ah, how rare it is for you to come to me voluntarily, Echizen Ryoma," commented the emperor.

Ryoma tried his best to hold back a glare towards Syusuke's father, but the stiff expression on his face had most likely betrayed his emotions to the emperor.

"I was not aware that His Highness and Shitenhoji's emperor are acquainted," Ryoma stated. "I'll keep this brief; if you knew they are on friendly terms, why did you reject Shitenhoji's offer of alliance?"

"It was _you_ who suggested I should reject any offers from Shitenhoji, were you not? Or were you sleeping on the job? I should remind you, my new advisor-"

"I know," Ryoma cut off the emperor angrily. "I accepted your offer to become an advisor, so the advice I gave you was what I thought to be the best option _at the time_. However, I also remember telling you that you should make your own decisions based on the specific circumstances, did I not?"

The emperor scoffed, "I do not trust Shiraishi – that is what I think on the matter. As you said yourself, my son and Shiraishi are simply _acquainted_. Syusuke can find new friends easily. The people he chooses to hang out with is not nearly as important as Seishun's political affairs."

 _What?_

Ryoma felt a chill down his spine as his brain processed the implications of what the emperor just said. He was abandoning his son's friends for his own sake, killing potential friendships and controlling his son's life as if it was his own.

 _He has no right to do that. Even as an emperor._

But there was nothing Ryoma could do. As it stood, the young bodyguard had no bargaining power with the emperor whatsoever. If anything, it was the opposite; the emperor held all the bargaining chips on the table, and Ryoma could not refuse.

Not unless he wanted to return to Rikkai and be sent straight to the lion's den. Right back to Yukimura.

"Tell me, Echizen Ryoma," said the emperor sternly. "Would you have done differently, were you in my position?"

The emperor gave a piercing gaze to the bodyguard. It was a warning, Ryoma realized, for him to choose his words wisely. For the first time ever, Ryoma hesitated. A vision of Syusuke's friendly interactions with Shiraishi surfaced amongst Ryoma's messy thoughts. Attempting to clear his mind, the young bodyguard shook his head.

After a long silence, Ryoma replied.

"No."

It was a simple word. Yet, Ryoma felt as if he could not bear the weight of that one syllable and simply wished to leave the audience chamber as soon as possible.

The answer he gave was indeed the truth. Even knowing Shiraishi was Syusuke's friend, if Ryoma was the emperor, he would still have refused the alliance with Shitenhoji, given the dangerous political climate.

However, Ryoma wondered why he even bothered to come to the audience chamber if that was the case. What exactly was he trying to do in the first place?

The bodyguard was dumbfounded by his own lack of answers.

"You are dismissed, Echizen," stated the emperor. "Do not complain to me for such a trivial matter ever again. Unless you _want_ me to use you as a bargaining chip against Yukimura, that is. And I suggest you think hard about what you did today."

Ryoma could barely restrain himself from frowning. He stiffly bowed towards the emperor and hurriedly left the audience chamber. The doors closed behind him loudly with a bang.

The bodyguard stood unresponsively in front of the doors before aimlessly walking away. The endlessly long corridors began to irritate Ryoma, causing him to walk faster as if he could escape from the corridors through that simple action.

He was not certain where he was going, but he did not care.

Unknowingly, Ryoma had walked into the sunlight. The sharp, intense sunrays caused the bodyguard to cover his eyes with his hands for a few seconds and wait for his eyes to adjust to the sudden change.

 _I'm… in the courtyard?_

From afar, Ryoma could hear the sound of a sword swing. A sudden breeze blew towards Ryoma, slightly messing up his hairstyle. With his hand still raised, as if it could block both the sunlight and the wind, the bodyguard slowly walked towards the sound.

There, he saw _him_.

In the middle of the courtyard, under the shade of a cherry blossom tree, the crown prince practiced his swordsmanship. His blue irises shone brightly as he focused all of his attention onto his sword. Another round of gust picked up, and the prince swung his sword in a split second.

On the ground lay many halves of fallen leaves.

Briefly surveying the area, Ryoma found the bodyguard currently on duty – Kaidoh. He and Ryoma were standing quite a distance from each other, but Kaidoh had no trouble noticing his arrival and simply nodded to acknowledge him. Ryoma nodded back as a greeting.

Syusuke, however, seemed like he did not notice Ryoma's presence because of his concentration.

Ryoma decided to sit down in the shade and observe the training session after locating a nearby tree. On the other side of the courtyard, Kaidoh looked confused about Ryoma's presence, but made no attempts to confront the younger bodyguard about it.

So Ryoma merely sat there and watched.

As always, Syusuke's sword swings were elegant, quick, and precise. It was a different sword style from all others that Ryoma had experienced; most styles – like Tezuka's or his own – relied at least somewhat on power and momentum along with spectacular speed, but Syusuke's was unusual in that sense. The prince did not possess monstrous power, nor did he have the speed that matched the Speed Star of Naniwa.

What he did have was _skill._ Pure, unrivaled skill.

Ryoma used to compare Syusuke's sword style with Yukimura's, but now, the young bodyguard thought perhaps that analogy was not quite accurate. On the contrary, it would be more precise to compare Yukimura's style to Tezuka's – both relying on the absolute domination of the foe.

Absentmindedly, Ryoma smiled. He was beginning to see Syusuke as his own, separate person and not as someone that reminded him of Yukimura.

In the past, Ryoma's image of Syusuke had always been under Yukimura's shadow of influence. No one could deny the two's similarity in appearance with just one look – the air of confidence in a match, the ever-present smile on their faces, and the unnatural elegance that exudes from both of them. That was the reason why Ryoma had found Syusuke hard to get along with when they first met.

However, the more time Ryoma spent with the prince, the more he was unable to see Syusuke and Yukimura as similar. Unlike the Rikkai emperor, Syusuke had many flaws and weaknesses and genuinely cared for his friends. Even the smile, something the bodyguard thought was so eerily alike in the beginning, made Ryoma's heart beat faster in happiness instead of nervousness.

All of a sudden, Ryoma caught Syusuke's blue eyes staring straight at him. The young bodyguard froze in surprise.

He could feel his pulse racing.

"How long have you been there?" Syusuke asked with his usual smile.

"I just got here," Ryoma lied.

Catching the prince's blue eyes was so startling that Ryoma subconsciously looked away.

"You should smile more," Syusuke commented offhandedly.

"Huh?"

"You were smiling just now. I saw."

"No, I wasn't," Ryoma denied.

In the split moment the young bodyguard looked away, Syusuke had walked from the center of the courtyard to the tree that Ryoma was sitting under. The prince sat next to Ryoma silently.

"You didn't look too well when you first arrived. Are you okay?" Syusuke asked.

Ryoma paused. "If you saw my arrival, why did you even bother asking how long I've been here?"

The prince gave a mischievous smile. "Why do you think?"

The bodyguard could feel a headache coming on and sighed loudly. Syusuke giggled at the response but said nothing in return. Instead, Syusuke laid his head on Ryoma's lap.

"H-hey, wait a minute, what are you doing?" Ryoma exclaimed in a slightly panicked voice.

"Lap pillow."

"I know what that is! But why?"

"Who else is going to protect me while I rest?"

"Kaidoh-senpai is the bodyguard on dut- Where did he go?"

On the other side of the courtyard, Kaidoh was nowhere to be seen. Ryoma blinked blankly and shook his head. Why was nothing working in his favor today?

Syusuke's body felt warm as the prince pressed closer towards Ryoma. The bodyguard could feel his face heating up for some reason as he awkwardly averted his eyes.

"Make sure you keep watch and protect me, 'kay?" Syusuke teasingly reminded.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll protect you."

An unwanted thought of Yukimura's smiling face surfaced within Ryoma's mind once more, and Ryoma's heartbeat almost stopped cold. However, since he could feel Syusuke's warm, even breath on his abdomen due to the uncomfortable position, it distracted him enough to keep his mind from wandering too far.

Ryoma was glad he was here with Syusuke.

"I'll protect you," Ryoma repeated to no one in particular.

 _Even if it means I have to go back to Seiichi._

* * *

 **Author's Note: So Yukimura wasn't originally going to appear in this chapter, not even in a flashback. But I decided that it's about time Ryoma's backstory gets expanded a little.**

 **Tell me what you think! Leave me a review/follow/favorite if you liked it! I really appreciate the comments and it really helped me get out of my writer's block.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note: I'M BACK! Did anyone miss me?**

 **The past few months had been too busy for me due to personal problems, so I couldn't upload anything. Hopefully I could return to a steady schedule soon.**

* * *

Chapter 18

–

Nothing in particular had happened for a few months, but it would be dangerous for Ryoma to let his guard down. This was the calm before the storm, he told himself. Something was bound to happen sooner or later.

It was Ryoma's shift to guard the crown prince. The young bodyguard sat at his usual corner inside the workroom while sipping on a cup of grape juice, his curious eyes peering at the huge stacks of papers on top of Syusuke's desk. Ryoma knew that amongst those stacks, there must be information about Rikkai.

"Are you curious?" Syusuke asked suddenly with a mysterious smile.

Ryoma paused his thoughts for a bit, then found the prince staring at him instead of the papers. The young bodyguard realized perhaps his peeking was somewhat obvious.

"Just a little," Ryoma replied.

With a wave of his hand, the prince gestured for Ryoma to come closer. The bodyguard stood up, put down his cup on a nearby desk, and complied without much thought. Syusuke handed Ryoma a thin stack of papers.

The words "Report on the Subject of Rikkai's Invasion" were clearly printed in bold on the first page. There were some other scribbles along with the words "URGENT" and "CONFIDENTIAL" stamped onto the cover.

"Are you sure you want to let me see this?" Ryoma asked.

"Why not?" Syusuke asked back with an unchanging smile. "I trust you."

Ryoma was not sure whether he should be impressed or utterly horrified the crown prince of Seishun trusted him, someone with an ambiguous identity, so much that Ryoma was allowed to view top secret documents. If he had been an undercover terrorist from Rikkai, Syusuke would have doomed Seishun.

Of course, Ryoma himself was far from a Rikkai terrorist. He would rather be thrown in jail than to touch anything related to Yukimura with a 10-foot pole. But how would Syusuke know that? Ryoma had not revealed anything about himself at all.

"Trust," Ryoma muttered, "is very dangerous, Your Highness."

The prince's beautiful blue eyes revealed themselves to the bodyguard.

"Thanks for the heads up," Syusuke replied. "But my decision to trust anyone has nothing to do with you. The responsibility falls on me."

Clearly, the prince had not taken Ryoma's warning to heart. However, the bodyguard had to admit that the prince had a point – Ryoma had no business interfering with Syusuke's choice to trust certain people.

The young bodyguard purposely sighed to convey his discontent. Syusuke closed his eyes and returned to his paperwork with an amused expression on his face.

Returning back to his seat, Ryoma began silently reading the report given to him and taking small sips of his drink.

"Ne, Ryoma."

"Hm?"

"I'm attending a multi-nation conference in a week and I need a bodyguard to protect me for the whole day. Will you be free?"

"You want _me_ to guard you?" Ryoma asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, I would have asked Tezuka since he is more familiar with this sort of thing, but the last time Atobe made quite a scene because Tezuka was there, and they wasted a lot of time, and-"

Ryoma almost choked on his grape juice and coughed.

"Atobe Keigo?"

"The one and only," Syusuke answered with a deceitful smile. "Scared?"

Ryoma was absolutely, 100-percent certain that the prince was just provoking him. The bodyguard also knew that he was completely and uncontrollably falling for it.

"Mada mada dane. It's just the Monkey King, what's there to be scared of?" Ryoma huffed.

The bodyguard half expected the prince to get back at him with a witty remark. What he _didn't_ expect was Syusuke leaving his worktable and sitting next to Ryoma at an uncomfortably close distance, wrapping both of his arms around the bodyguard's shoulders.

Ryoma's mind froze.

"There's another reason," Syusuke whispered with a devious grin. "I want to spend more time with you."

The cogs inside Ryoma's brain came to an emergency halt for a mere five seconds before the two were interrupted with several knocks at the door. Syusuke's smile was replaced with a frown, and the gentle blue eyes turned furious.

"Your Highness, may I come in?" said a familiar voice at the door.

Syusuke muttered to himself at a small volume, "This better be important, Tezuka, or else…"

The prince slowly let go of Ryoma and stood up from his seat. On the other hand, Ryoma could feel his brain slowly regaining control of his own body before Syusuke dropped another bombshell.

"How does some tasty Inui Juice sound as a present?" the smile on Syusuke's face was abnormally bright. "It's almost Tezuka's birthday, isn't it? October 7th? I'm sure he'll love it."

Without even listening to Ryoma's response, the prince stomped towards the door angrily.

 _Rest in peace, Captain. I'm not sure what happened just now, but I'll make sure everyone knows your sacrifice was not in vain._

Syusuke slammed the sliding door open. Looking from the side, Ryoma could see the intense glare from the prince's eyes slowly morph into confusion. The bodyguard wondered what the prince saw to cause this reaction since Ryoma could not see the other side of the door at his angle.

"You're early," Syusuke commented dryly.

"Why, of course!" replied someone on the other side of the door. "It is only proper for the king to arrive prior to the actual event so we can deepen the connection between the two countries, wouldn't you agree, ahn?"

 _That voice!_

Ryoma's brain recognized the person at the door as soon as he heard the unmistakable tone of speech.

There was nowhere for Ryoma to run. Not that he would, but he certainly thought about it. Ryoma inched towards the spot behind Syusuke slowly and kept his head tilted towards the side, hoping that perhaps the person at the door could overlook his presence.

"And therefore! It is essential for us to-" _Snap._

The sound of a rose's stem breaking cleanly reverberated in Syusuke's workroom. No doubt the person at the door was holding the rose to look fancy, but it backfired as soon as Ryoma appeared within his field of sight.

Ryoma cursed inside his head.

"You… YOU!" hissed the person at the door.

Syusuke was alerted by the sudden aggression, showing his normally concealed cerulean eyes. The prince took a step back, and Ryoma quickly stepped in front of Syusuke to create a physical separation.

The bodyguard made no attempts to reach for his katana.

"You little brat! So this is where you've been!"

"Hello to you too, Monkey King," Ryoma greeted.

Atobe Keigo grumpily stomped towards Ryoma, grabbed a handful of the collar of his kimono, and lifted the small bodyguard just slightly off the ground. Syusuke shot Atobe a fierce glare and put one hand on Ryoma's arm, but neither Atobe nor the bodyguard responded to the prince's reaction.

"Do you even know how big of a mess you left behind for me? Why did you leave Rikkai without telling anyone? You do realize that Yukimura is furiously looking for you, right?"

"I have my reasons," Ryoma responded. "I figured you'd be covering up for me."

"You talk like you have no responsibility in any of this."

Ryoma shrugged nonchalantly. With one hand still holding onto the bodyguard's collar, Atobe barely managed to raise his other hand, balled into a fist, before his attendant Kabaji pulled him away. Syusuke quickly dragged Ryoma back several steps as well while eyeing Atobe cautiously.

The prince said, "I was unaware that you two were acqua-"

"Bullshit. He must have badmouthed me at least once or twice. There's no way you didn't know we knew each other," Atobe scoffed.

The corner of Syusuke's lips twitched a little.

Ryoma added unhelpfully, "Actually, it was more like at least fifty ti-"

"It's time I get an explanation from you, my bodyguard," Syusuke interrupted in frustration.

Sharp, cerulean eyes gazed at Ryoma, and a mysterious pressure forced Ryoma to hold still.

"Tell me truthfully," the prince said slowly, "what is your relation to the King of Hyotei?"

Atobe strode across Syusuke's workroom and found the comfiest chair to sit on, crossing his legs as if he was about to enjoy a brand-new stage play. His eyes suggested to Ryoma that the foreign king was wholly enjoying the bodyguard's newfound misery.

Ryoma's heartbeat was rising. Syusuke's intense stare made him increasingly unnerved. Regardless, he would never lie to the prince who stood in front of him.

If Syusuke wanted an answer, that was what he would get.

"He's…" Ryoma groaned, "a childhood friend. Sort of."

"And what have you done to offend him?" Syusuke continued.

Ryoma paused.

"You're not allowed to stay silent, you know that, right?" the prince's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I will never refuse an answer, Your Highness," Ryoma answered with determination. "The situation is just rather… complicated. I was thinking about where to start."

–

 _"You're going to make me go with you to meet Atobe Keigo?" Ryoma asked incredulously. "My family might be indebted to yours, but that doesn't make me your subordinate."_

 _Yukimura, still a prince at the time, smiled serenely at Ryoma. "Of course not. You're my companion. And you know him, while I do not. I expect negotiations to go much smoother with you around."_

 _The two were sitting in front of a shogi board. After thinking for a short time, Yukimura moved a knight from his side forward and began waiting for Ryoma to finish his turn._

 _"Atobe is just a prince, like you. Don't you think you're being too cautious when Hyotei is clearly not taking this seriously by sending a prince and not the king to negotiate?" Ryoma commented._

 _"You just love making excuses to get out to situations, don't you?" Yukimura said, his smile never reaching his eyes. "Hyotei is taking this as seriously as I am. You know this. Atobe Keigo is the crown prince who will eventually take the throne. Anything he does now is practice for when he finally holds the crown in his hands."_

 _Ryoma silently moved his rook piece forward._

 _Yukimura frowned, his eyebrows furrowing as he checked the positions of the pieces on the board._

 _"You're improving," the Rikkai prince stated. "Very quickly."_

 _They played the rest of the game in silence. After several rounds of back and forth, Yukimura's pieces were fully cornered. Finally, Ryoma moved his bishop forward._

 _"Checkmate, Seiichi."_

 _"Indeed. Congratulations."_

 _Round, golden eyes looked up from the shogi board and met with iris ones._

 _"What are you thinking?" Ryoma blurted without much thought._

 _Yukimura's lips tilted upwards, but his eyes were almost glaring daggers at the younger boy. If Ryoma did not know better, he would be scared for his life._

 _"I'm trying to keep my pettiness in check, of course. Losing can be so painful sometimes," answered the prince of Rikkai._

 _"Winning is not everything, Your Highness. You've won more than thousands of games, and I won once. It doesn't mean much in the long run."_

 _The prince gave no response. Instead, he stood from his chair, turning away from Ryoma, and walked towards a window. Ryoma was far from a mind reader, but in hindsight, he should have picked up some warning signs from this behavior._

 _Ever since his childhood, Yukimura Seiichi had never lost in anything. Swordplay, board games, even politics… As his companion, Ryoma had been practicing all of them by Yukimura's side. Even though the young boy had been improving, he never quite matched up to the prince of Rikkai. The idea of losing must had been quite devastating._

 _"What are you thinking?" Ryoma asked again._

 _The prince of Rikkai turned his head to look at Ryoma, a smile no longer present on his face._

 _Yukimura had never been good at hiding his displeasure._

 _"It seems like a monster has been born, through the hands of your father and soon to be perfected by mine," he commented. "When will you pledge your loyalty to me, Echizen Ryoma? I'm running out of time and patience."_

 _–_

"It was quite ironic Yukimura said that," Ryoma remarked. "To me, he's way more of a monster than I'll ever be."

Syusuke paused in thought, before saying, "From what I gathered, it almost sounded like Yukimura thinks you could be a threat to whatever he was planning."

"World conquest," the bodyguard added. "He had always dreamed of uniting all the countries under Rikkai. Quite ambitious. Now that I ran away, with my connections to the royal family, he has ample reasons to launch his campaign across the world, destroying whatever countries that could be harboring a fugitive."

Syusuke frowned, his eyes glued to Ryoma. The bodyguard had no idea what the prince in front of him was thinking. He did feel slightly guilty for dragging so many people into this mess with Yukimura, but he had to no choice.

Ryoma refused to work for someone whose ideals he did not agree with.

Uncertain of what to do, the bodyguard decided to kneel. He would show Fuji Shusuke the loyalty that he promised; Echizen Ryoma would never betray him for as long as the bodyguard was alive. Ryoma kept his head down, and he could not see Shusuke's face.

After a few, long seconds, Syusuke spoke, "Rise, my bodyguard. It's time for dinner."

When Ryoma rose to his feet, the prince was already walking towards the door silently, his back facing the young bodyguard. Atobe stretched while still sitting in his chair and stood up afterwards.

"You could have run to Hyotei," Atobe said as he approached.

"Your country hates me, Monkey King. Not me, specifically, but my old man. They hate the Echizen family."

Atobe chuckled, "Your dad made Seishun too powerful."

Syusuke had left the room, and Ryoma attempted to follow before Atobe put a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Yukimura is coming," Atobe warned. "He doesn't know you're here yet, but he will. Soon. And you will be dragging the entire Seishun down with you."

Ryoma was silent for a moment, then shrugged off Atobe's hand and followed Syusuke out the door.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I hit a writer's block on this part of the story because I don't know how to write Yukimura or Atobe. Let me know whether they turned out well!**


End file.
